Shrub 0.3-1.2 m tall, often forming low thickets; branches arching. Stems 4-lined and slightly ancipitous when young, very soon terete; internodes 1-6.5 cm, shorter than to exceeding leaves. Leaves with petiole 0.5-2.5 mm; blade elliptic or ovate-oblong to broadly rhombic or subcircular (l:w = 1.1-1.6), 1.5-6.5 × 0.7-4.3 cm, thickly papery, abaxially paler or glaucous; laminar glands dots and short streaks; abaxial glands absent; main lateral veins 3- or 4-paired, without visible tertiary reticulation; base truncate to subcordate or, if cuneate, then margin undulate, apex rounded to emarginate. Inflorescence 1-7-flowered from apical node, nearly flat-topped; bracts narrowly elliptic to linear, persistent. Pedicels 4-15(-30) mm. Flowers 2.5-3.5 cm in diam., cupped; buds ovoid, apex obtuse to rounded. Sepals erect, subequal, narrowly elliptic or oblong to obovate, 3-9 × 2.5-6 mm, laminar glands lines, margin entire or finely eroded-denticulate, eglandular and often with hyaline margin, apex rounded or rarely subapiculate. Petals golden yellow to butter-yellow or rarely pale yellow, narrowly obovate, 1.5-2.5(-3) × 1.1-2.1 cm, 3-6 × as long as sepals, eglandular, margin entire, apiculus rounded. Stamen fascicles each with 45-50 stamens, longest 6-10(-11) mm, 0.35-0.4(-0.6) × as long as petals. Ovary broadly to narrowly ovoid, 4-6 × 3-3.5 mm; styles 3-5 mm, 0.6-0.9 × as long as ovary, free, suberect, outcurved near apex. Capsule usually narrowly ovoid, 1-1.5 cm × 6-10 mm. Seeds dark brown, not carinate; testa scalariform-reticulate. Fl. Jun-Aug, fr. Aug-Oct.

Hypericum bellum shows a westward trend from plane leaves without adaxial glands (NW Yunnan) to undulate leaves with dense adaxial glands (W part of SE Xizang). The Yunnan plants are most similar to H. latisepalum but can be distinguished inter alia by the narrower sepals and capsule (see key).

Open forests, forest edges, thickets, grassy slopes; (1400-)1900-3200(-3500) m. W Sichuan, SE Xizang, NW Yunnan [NE India].