Plants 25--40 cm tall, pubescent. Stems branched, erect, smooth. Leaves both basal and cauline; petiole 8--15 cm; leaf blade 2- or 3-ternate; leaflet blade orbicular, 2--5.5 × 2--6 cm, papery, base cordate, margin toothed. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, pleiochasial, flat topped, many flowered. Sepals 4, early deciduous, whitish green, ca. 3.5 mm. Stamens many; filament whitish, 3--4 mm, apex strongly dilated, narrower or sometimes slightly broader than anther; anther ca. 1 mm, apex obtuse. Carpels 6--15; style ca. 0.6 mm; stigma conspicuous. Achenes sessile; body narrowly cylindric-ovoid, 2--3 mm; persistent style strongly hooked or circinate, 0.5--0.6 mm; veins ca. 8, stout. Fl. Aug--Sep.

This species is similar to Thalictrum leve and T. yunnanense (see notes under those species).

* Forest margins; ca. 2000 m. C Yunnan (Binchuan Xian to Kunming Shi).