Herbs large, 1-2 m tall. Roots and rhizomes stout, ca. 8 cm in diam. Stem erect, finely striped, stout, 2-3 cm in diam., glabrous, simple. Basal leaves in a rosette. Stem leaves dense; petiole stout, shorter than blade, 5-15 cm, glabrous; leaf blade large, orbicular, ovate, or cordate-ovate, 20-30 cm, nearly lea-thery, abaxially glabrous or pilose, adaxially glabrous, basal veins 5-7, conspicuously raised abaxially, base rounded or subcordate, margin entire, apex obtuse; distal leaves smaller upward, orbicular, 5-13 cm; ocrea red, broadly lanceolate, large, 10-15 cm, both surfaces glabrous. Panicle 5-8-branched, 5-9 cm, rarely with branchlets, glabrous; bracts light yellow, membranous when dry. Pedicel 2-3 mm, slender, jointed at middle or slightly below. Flowers 5-9-fascicled. Tepals 6 or fewer, connected at base, not spreading, elliptic, inner 3 larger, yellow-green, ca. 2 × 1 mm. Stamens (8 or)9; anthers compressed, oblong-elliptic; filaments compressed, base inflated, 3-3.5 mm. Ovary ovoid; style short; stigma inflated. Fruit broadly ovoid or ovoid, 6-7 × 5-6 mm, base rounded to slightly truncate, apex obtuse; wings dark brown, less than 1 mm, narrow, with longitudinal veins near margin. Seeds black-brown, cordate-ovoid. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Sep.

Slopes; 4000-4800 m. S Xizang [Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sikkim].