Tovaria miranda H. Léveillé, Mem. Pontif. Accad. Romana Nuovi Lincei 23: 361. 1905; Pollia japonica Thunberg var. minor (Honda) E. H. Walker; P. japonica var. miranda (H. Léveillé) Kitamura; P. minor Honda; P. omeiensis D. Y. Hong.

Herbs perennial. Stems ascending, 20--50 cm × less than 3 mm, glabrous or subglabrous. Leaves with petiole nearly absent or to 1.5 cm; leaf sheath 1--2 cm, puberulent; leaf blade elliptic or ovate-elliptic, 5--15 × ca. 2.5 cm, granulate-scabrous adaxially, sparsely hispidulous or glabrous abaxially. Inflorescence nearly as long as distal leaves; peduncle 2--6 cm, hirsutulous; cincinni 2 to several, 1--3.5 cm, alternate, not in whorls, hirsutulous; proximal involucral bracts 5--8 mm, distal ones much smaller, sheathlike and enveloping cincinnus axis, hirsutulous; bracts membranous; pedicels short, ca. 4 mm in fruit. Sepals ovate-orbicular, boat-shaped, ca. 2.5 mm, glabrous, persistent. Petals white, pink spotted, ovate-orbicular, ca. 4 mm. Stamens 6, all fertile. Fruit globose, ca. 5 mm in diam. Fl. Jun--Aug.

Pollia miranda has been misidentified by many authors as P. zollingeri (Hasskarl) C. B. Clarke (from Indonesia), to which it is similar in habit. However, P. zollingeri has only 3 fertile stamens and 3 smaller staminodes.

Ravine forests; near sea level to 1600 m. Guangxi, EC and S Guizhou, Sichuan, Taiwan, SE Yunnan (Malipo Xian, Xichou Xian) [Japan].