Leucojum capitulatum Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 1: 199. 1790; Curculigo fuziwarae Yamamoto; C. recurvata W. T. Aiton; C. strobiliformis D. Fang & D. H. Qin; Molineria capitulata (Loureiro) Herbert; Tupistra esquirolii H. Léveillé & Vaniot; Veratrum mairei H. Léveillé.

Herbs to 1 m tall, stout. Rhizomes tuberous, thick, with creeping, slender stolons. Leaves often 4--7; petiole 30--80 cm; leaf blade oblong-lanceolate to suboblong, 40--90 × 5--14 cm, plicate, papery, sometimes pubescent, margin entire, apex acuminate. Flowering stems (10--)15--30 cm, brown villous. Racemes nodding, capitate to subovoid, 2.5--5 cm, densely many flowered; bracts ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 1.5--2.5 cm, hairy. Pedicel ca. 7 mm. Perianth yellow; segments ovate-oblong, ca. 8 × 3.5--4 mm, apex obtuse, outer segments adaxially hairy, inner ones adaxially hairy on midvein or at base of midvein. Stamens 5--6 mm; filament less than 1 mm; anther linear, ca. 5 mm. Ovary subglobose to oblong, hairy. Style longer than stamens, slender; stigma subcapitate. Berry white, subglobose, 4--5 mm in diam., beakless. Seeds black with irregular stripes. Fl. May--Jun, fr. Aug--Sep.

Forests, shady and moist places; (300--)800--2200 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].