Ruta albiflora Hooker, Exot. Fl. 1: t. 79. 1823; Bodinieria thalictrifolia H. Léveillé; Boenninghausenia albiflora var. brevipes Franchet; B. albiflora var. pilosa Z. M. Tan; B. brevipes (Franchet) H. Léveillé; B. japonica Siebold ex Miquel; B. schizocarpa S. Y. Hu; B. sessilicarpa H. Léveillé; Podostaurus thalictroides Junghuhn.

Plants to 1.2 m tall. Stems, branches, leaves, and inflorescences glabrous to pubescent. Larger leaves 4-16 cm; leaflet blades elliptic to obovate to broadly obovate to suborbicular, 0.5-2.5 × 0.4-1.5 cm. Inflorescences to 60 cm. Flowers globose to ovoid to ellipsoid to oblong in bud. Sepals 0.5-1.3 mm. Petals elliptic to obovate, or broadly so, 3.5-6 mm, apex acute to broadly rounded. Disk 0.3-0.5 mm. Gynophore in flowers at anthesis 0.3-1.5 mm, in fruit 0.6-5.5 mm. Fruit follicles 2.5-5 mm. Fl. and fr. May-Nov.

Open forests, grassy slopes; 500-2800 m. Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, SE Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kashmir, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, N Vietnam].