Vines woody, often turning black on drying. Branches shallowly 6-grooved, puberulous or pubescent. Leaves 2-pinnate or 2-ternate, rarely 1-pinnate; petiole 3--8.5 cm; leaflet blades ovate, narrowly so, or lanceolate, 1.5--7(--8.5) × 0.7--4 (--5.5) cm, papery, abaxially usually densely appressed puberulous, adaxially puberulous or subglabrous, base rounded or broadly cuneate, margin entire or 1-dentate or sparsely serrate on each side, apex attenuate, acute, or acuminate; basal veins nearly flat. Cymes both axillary and terminal, (1--)5--9(to many)-flowered; peduncle 2.8--10 cm; bracts narrowly ovate, undivided or 3-lobed. Flowers 1.5--4.6 cm in diam.; pedicel 1.2--3 cm, densely puberulous; bracteoles ovate or elliptic. Sepals 4, white, spreading, lanceolate, oblong, or obovate-oblong, 1--2.4 × 0.4--1.2 cm, abaxially appressed sericeous-puberulous, adaxially glabrous, margin velutinous, apex subacute. Stamens 5--17 mm, glabrous; anthers oblong or narrowly so, rarely linear, 1--3 mm, apex obtuse. Ovaries pubescent; style 6--9 mm, densely villous. Achenes compressed, ovate or narrowly elliptic, 3--5 × 2--2.8 mm, pubescent, indistinctly or not marginate; persistent style 2--3.2 cm, plumose. Fl. Apr--Oct.