Podophyllum difforme Hemsley & E. H. Wilson, Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1906: 152. 1906; Dysosma tonkinensis (Gagnepain) Hiroe; P. tonkinense Gagnepain; P. triangulum Handel-Mazzetti.

Plants 15-30 cm tall. Rhizomes usually terete, slender, with numerous fibrous roots. Stems erect, sometimes purplish red, glabrous. Leaves alternate, obliquely peltate, unequal in size, sharply diversiform; petioles unequal in length, 3-11 cm, glabrous; leaf blade adaxially sometimes purplish red, 5-11 × 7-15 cm, thinly papery, both surfaces glabrous, base often rounded, entire or lobed, margin sparsely inconspicuously serrate. Inflorescence 2-5-fascicled flowers. Pedicel 1-2 cm, nodding, sparsely white pubescent. Flowers attached near base of blade. Sepals oblong-lanceolate, 2-2.5 cm × 2-5 mm, outside pubescent, inside glabrous, apically acuminate. Petals pale brownish red, oblong-loriform, 4-5 × 0.8-1 cm, glabrous, apex rounded. Stamens ca. 2 cm; filaments ca. 0.8 cm; anthers ca. 1.2 cm; anther connective conspicuously prolonged. Pistil ca. 0.9 cm; ovary urceolate; style ca. 2 mm; stigma shield-shaped. Berry globose, 1.7-2.7 cm. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. Jun-Sep.

Shaw (in Stearn, Gen. Epimedium, 280. 2002) treated Podophyllum tonkinense as a synonym of P. versipelle subsp. versipelle.

Dense forests; 700-1800 m. Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan [Vietnam].