Shrubs or small trees, to 5 m tall. Branchlets brown or grayish brown, terete, lenticellate; young shoots reddish brown, puberulous; buds oblong-ovoid, 1–2 cm × 5–8 mm, apex acuminate; scales several, brown, white pubescent. Leaves imparipinnate, together with rachis 14–17 cm; petiole 1.5–3.3 cm; rachis sulcate adaxially, slightly winged, glabrous; stipules caducous, linear-lanceolate, 7–11 mm, membranous, slightly pubescent; leaflets (4–)6 or 7 pairs, at intervals of 1.5–2 cm, blade ovate-lanceolate, (2.5–)5–7 × 1.2–2 cm, terminal and basal ones smaller than others, both surfaces glabrous, abaxially pale, base obliquely rounded or broadly cuneate, margin sharply serrate but entire basally, or with 2–5 teeth per side, apex acuminate. Inflorescences 6–10 × 7–12(–15) cm, loosely many flowered; rachis and pedicels glabrous; bracts caducous, linear, 5–8 mm, membranous. Pedicel 4–8 mm. Flowers 15–18(–20) cm in diam. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially glabrous. Sepals triangular, 1.5–2.5 mm, apex ± obtuse, rarely acute. Petals white, ovate or elliptic, 6–9 × 5–7 mm, adaxially white pubescent, apex obtuse. Stamens (15–)20, ca. 1/2 as long as petals or shorter. Styles (3–)5, somewhat shorter or nearly as long as stamens, densely white tomentose basally. Fruit scarlet, globose, 1–1.2 cm in diam., glabrous; sepals persistent. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Sep–Oct. 2n = 34*.

Mountain valleys, stream sides, forest margins; 2000--3200 m. Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang [Afghanistan, W Pakistan, Russia; SW Asia].