Plants ca. 2 m, monocarpic, strongly onion-scented. Stem solitary, very stout, up to 15 cm thick at base, tapering towards apex, hispid, paniculate-branched, branches thick, lower branches alternate, upper branches verticillate, purplish tinged with age. Basal leaves petiolate; blade triangular in outline, ternate-pinnatifid; ultimate segments lanceolate or lanceolate-elliptic, to 27 × 7 cm, finely crenate, adaxially glabrous, abaxially densely puberulous. Cauline leaves reduced with expanded sheaths, uppermost almost wholly sheathing. Terminal umbels often sessile or short-pedunculate, lateral umbels long-pedunculate, usually exceeding terminal; umbels 8–14 mm across; bracts absent; rays 12–50, subequal; bracteoles few, lanceolate, small, deciduous; umbellules ca. 15-flowered. Stylopodium low-conic, base dilated; styles elongate, recurved. Fruit ellipsoid, ca. 10 × 5 mm; vittae 1–2 in each furrow, 8–14 on commissure. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Jun–Jul.

This species is used in Xinjiang as a regional substitute for the traditional Chinese medicine “a wei” (Ferula assafoetida Linnaeus).

Mountain valleys, semi-deserts; ca. 2800 m. SW Xinjiang (Wuqia) [Kyrgyzstan].