Epimedium leptorrhizum Stearn

Herbs 12–50 cm tall. Rhizome long creeping, or compact, 1–5(–8) mm in diam.; internodes sometimes to 20 cm. Leaves basal and cauline, trifoliolate or occasionally unifoliolate. Leaflets of trifoliolate leaves narrowly ovate or ovate, 3–16 × 2–8.6 cm, apex long acuminate, base deeply cordate with usually rounded lobes nearly touching, those of the lateral leaflets very unequal; unifoliolate leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 8–13.7 × 5–11 cm, apex acuminate, base cordate with lobes equal, rounded and rarely acute; leaves leathery, margin spinous-serrate, adaxially deep green, glossy, abaxially glaucous, papillose, and pubescent along veins, especially dense at the insertion of petioles and petiolules. Flowering stem with 1 trifoliolate leaf or 2 opposite leaves. Inflorescence simple, racemose, 3–14-flowered, 12–25 cm long, glandular. Pedicel 1–2.5 cm long, glandular. Flowers large, ca. 4 cm in diam. Outer sepals green or purplish, outer pair ovate-oblong, 3–5 × 2 mm, apex obtuse, inner pair broadly ovate, 4–5.5 × 3–4.5 mm, apex acuminate; inner sepals white, white tinged with rose, or rose, narrowly elliptic, 11–20 × 4–7 mm, apex acute. Petals subequal to or longer than the inner sepals, white or pale yellow with base yellow or orange, white with base rose or deep rose, rose, deep rose or pale purple, horn-shaped, 15–26 mm, tapering from a swollen but lamina-less base. Stamens ca. 4 mm long; anthers, yellow or green, ca. 3 mm long. Follicles oblong, 8–18 mm long; style rostriform. Seeds numerous.

Herbs 12–30 cm tall. Rhizome long-creeping, occasionally clump-forming, 1–2 mm in diam. Leaves basal and cauline, trifoliolate or occasionally unifoliolate; leaflets of trifoliolate leaves narrowly ovate or ovate, 3–10 × 2–5 cm, apex long acuminate, base deeply cordate with usually rounded lobes nearly touching, those of the lateral leaflets very unequal; unifoliolate leaves ovate or broadly ovate, 8–13.7 × 5–11 cm, apex acuminate, base cordate with lobes equal, rounded and rarely acute; leaves leathery, margin spinous-serrate, adaxially deep green, glossy, abaxially glaucous, papillose, and reddish pubescent along veins, especially dense at insertion of petioles and petiolules. Flowering stem with 1 leaf or 2 opposite leaves. Inflorescence racemose, 12–25 cm long, 4–12-flowered, glandular; pedicels 1–2.5 cm. Flowers ca. 4 cm in diam., white, tinged with rose or deep rose. Outer sepals green or purplish, outer pair ovate-oblong, 3–4 × ca. 2 mm, apex obtuse, inner pair broadly ovate, 4–5.5 × 3–4.5 mm, apex obtuse. Inner sepals white or pale rose, narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, 11–22 × 4–7 mm, apex acuminate. Petals slightly longer than inner sepals, almost white with base rose or deep rose, horn-shaped, up to 2.6 cm, tapering from the swollen but lamina-less base. Stamens ca. 4 mm, anthers ca. 3 mm, yellow or green. Capsules oblong, 1.5–2 cm.

Epimediumleptorrhizum is distributed in the montane forests or thickets in Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan and Chongqing, in elevations ranging from 350 m to 2100 m (Fig. 4).