Poterium officinale (Linnaeus) A. Gray; Sanguisorba montana Jordan; S. officinalis var. longa Kitagawa; S. officinalis var. montana (Jordan) Focke; S. officinalis var. microcephala Kitagawa; S. officinalis var. polygama (Nylander) Sergievskaja; S. polygama Nylander.

Base of petiole or stem sometimes sparsely glandular hairy; leaflets of radical leaves ovate or oblong-ovate, glabrous on both surfaces, base cordate to subcordate. Sepals purple, red, or tinged purple. Filaments nearly equaling sepals. Fl. and fr. Jul–Oct.

Thinned forests, thickets, meadows, grasslands, grassy mountain slopes; near sea level to 3000 m. Anhui, Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Asia, Europe].