Plants perennial, 60–150 cm. Root conic, black-brown, 1.5–3 cm thick, pungent aromatic. Stem stout, purplish green, puberulous above. Basal and lower leaves long-petiolate, sheaths purplish oblong-ovate; blade broadly triangular-ovate, 20–40 × 20–30 cm, 2–3-ternate-pinnate, pinnae 2–3 pairs, petiolulate; leaflets subsessile, ovate to oblong-ovate, 3–8 × 1.5–4 cm, base cuneate, margin white-cartilaginous and incised-mucronate-serrate, apex acute, pubescent abaxially. Rachis, peduncles, rays and pedicels all densely hispidulous; peduncles 6–20 cm; bracts absent; rays 20–45, subequal; bracteoles 5–7, lanceolate, villous; umbellules 30–45-flowered. Calyx teeth obsolete. Petals white, broad-ovate, ca. 1 mm. Fruit ellipsoid to suborbicular, 5–7 × 3–5 mm; dorsal ribs prominent, lateral ribs broad-winged, wings equal or wider than the body; vittae 1 in each furrow, (2–3–)4 on commissure. Fl. Jul–Aug, fr. Aug–Sep. n = 22.

The young stems are eaten as a spring vegetable, and the roots have reputed medicinal value.

Forest margins, grassy mountain slopes, streamsides; 500–1000 m. Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol [Japan, Korea, Russia (Siberia)].