Bulbs ovoid, ca. 4 cm in diam. Leaves appearing in spring, green, midvein distinctly pale, apex rounded. Flowering stem ca. 60 cm. Umbel 5- or 6-flowered; involucres 2, oblanceolate, ca. 2.5 × 0.8 cm. Perianth yellow; tube 1.7--2.5 cm; lobes strongly recurved, abaxially with pale yellow midvein, oblanceolate, ca. 6 × 1 cm, margin strongly undulate. Stamens nearly as long as or somewhat longer than perianth; filament yellow. Style rose red at apex. Fl. Jul--Aug. 2 n = 16.

This species is related to Lycoris aurea but the leaves appear in spring.

Mixed forests, shady and moist slopes. Henan, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang [S Korea].