Vines woody. Branches shallowly 4- or 5-grooved, densely puberulous. Leaves usually pinnate, rarely ternate; petiole 2.2--6.5 cm, densely to sparsely puberulous; leaflet blades triangular-ovate, ovate, or narrowly ovate, 2--5.8 × 1.5--4.6 cm, papery, 3-lobed, undivided, or occasionally unequally 2-parted, abaxially usually densely sericeous-puberulous, adaxially appressed puberulous, base subcordate to rounded, margin sparsely incised, apex acuminate to narrowly acuminate; basal veins abaxially ± prominent. Cymes axillary or terminal, usually many flowered; peduncle 2.8--6.5 cm, densely puberulous; bracts foliaceous or simple, ovate. Flowers 1.1--2 cm in diam. Pedicel 0.6--1.5 cm, densely puberulous. Sepals 4, white, spreading, obovate-oblong, oblong, or narrowly obovate, 6--10 × 2--4 mm, abaxially densely appressed sericeous-puberulous, adaxially glabrous, apex obtuse to subtruncate. Stamens 4--7.8 mm, glabrous; anthers narrowly oblong, 1.2--1.8 mm, apex minutely apiculate to obtuse. Ovaries pubescent. Style 4--5 mm, densely villous. Achenes elliptic, 2--3 × 1.3--1.8 mm, appressed puberulous; persistent style 1.2--2.6 cm, plumose. Fl. Jul--Aug, fr. Sep.

Forest margins on slopes; ca. 2400 m. S Xizang (Gyirong Xian) [Afghanistan, Bhutan, N India, Nepal, N Pakistan].