Herbs perennial, monoecious or dioecious, 25-45 cm tall. Stems erect, simple, sparsely pubescent. Leaves alternate; nanophylls absent; stipules lanceolate, 6-10 × 1.5-2 mm, sparsely strigillose, without cystoliths; petiole 0-1.5 mm; leaf blade brown-black after drying, obliquely oblong, 8-17 × 1.5-4 cm, herbaceous, major basal lateral veins absent and venation pinnate, abaxial surface sparsely strigillose along nerves, adaxial surface sparsely strigose, cystoliths conspicuous, dense; base obliquely cuneate, margin densely dentate or denticulate, apex acuminate to caudate. Male inflorescences solitary or in pairs, simple, 8-12 mm in diam.; peduncle ca. 1.5 mm; receptacle 7-11 mm in diam.; bracts 15, ovate, ca. 2.5 mm wide; bracteoles cymbiform-oblong. Female inflorescences solitary or in pairs, 2-6 mm in diam.; peduncle 0-1 mm; receptacle nearly elliptic, 2-5 mm; bracts connate, triangular or broadly ovate; bracteoles spatulate-linear. Male flowers 5-merous. Achenes narrowly ovoid or ellipsoid, 8-ribbed. Fl. Jun.

* Shaded places in valleys; 600-1200 m. Chongqing, W Hubei, Yunnan.