Erodium stephanianum var. atranthum Nakai ex Kitagawa.

Perennials 20-50(-120) cm tall. Stems numerous, ascending to decumbent. Stipules triangular-lanceolate, 3-8 mm. Leaves opposite; leaf blade 4-7 cm, ovate to triangular-ovate, pinnately parted with basal pair of lobes distinct, both surfaces sparsely appressed pilose. Pseudoumbels conspicuously longer than leaves, with 2-5 hermaphrodite flowers; peduncle both spreading pilose and retrorsely pubescent. Pedicel 1/4-1/3 as long as peduncle. Sepals oblong-ovate, 6-9 mm, hirsute, apex awned. Petals purple, without a basal spot, obovate, 5-7 mm. Mericarp 8-11 mm, with apical pit, without ridges or furrows; awn not plumose. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Aug-Sep.

Meadows, steppes, flood plains, farmlands; 400-4000 m. Anhui, Gansu, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang [Afghanistan, Kashmir, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia].