Smilacina dahurica Turczaninow ex Fischer & C. A. Meyer, Index Sem. Hort. Petrop. 1: 38. 1835; Asteranthemum dahuricum (Turczaninow ex Fischer & C. A. Meyer) Kunth; Tovaria dahurica (Turczaninow ex Fischer & C. A. Meyer) Baker; Vagnera dahurica (Turczaninow ex Fischer & C. A. Meyer) Makino.

Plants 30--60 cm tall. Rhizome creeping, 1--2.5 mm thick, slender. Stem glabrous or shortly pubescent distally. Leaves 6--12, sessile; leaf blade oblong-ovate or oblong, 6--13 × 2--4 cm, abaxially densely pubescent. Inflorescence a raceme, 3--4 cm; rachis shortly pubescent. Flowers in clusters of 2--4, very rarely solitary; pedicel 3--5 mm, pubescent. Perianth white; segments ± connate at base, obovate-oblong or oblong, 2--4 × 1--1.5 mm. Filaments 1.5--3 mm; anthers small. Style ca. 1 mm, shorter than ovary; stigma slightly 3-lobed. Berries red or purplish red at maturity, 6--7 mm in diam., 1- or 2-seeded. Fl. Jun, fr. Aug. 2 n = 36*.

Forests; 400--1000 m. Heilongjiang, Jilin, ?Liaoning, ?Nei Mongol [Korea, Russia].