Plants perennial. Rhizome ca. 10 cm, ca. 1.2 cm in diam., apically branched. Stems to 30 cm tall, branched from base, with very short glandular hairs; branches long, erect or inclined, basally with membranous scales. Upper stem leaves shortly petiolate or sessile, ovate to narrowly ovate, 4--7 × 2--3.6 cm, 2 or 3 × pinnately divided; ultimate segments lanceolate to linear, 0.5--2 mm wide, margin sparsely glandular ciliate to glabrate, apex acute. Flowers 2--4 cm in diam. Sepals 5, pale green tinged with purple, rhombic-ovate, 5--17 × 1.5--8 mm, margin apically sometimes with teeth and sparsely glandular ciliate. Petals 9--13, yellow, abaxially tinged with purple, oblanceolate to oblong, 1--2 × 0.3--0.8 cm. Stamens to 4 mm; anthers narrowly oblong, ca. 1.2 mm. Styles short, bent. Achenes obovoid, ca. 4 mm, pubescent; persistent styles bent into a hook. Fl. Apr--Jul.

* Dry grassy slopes; 1900--2200 m. C Gansu, S and W Nei Mongol, Ningxia, N Qinghai.