Rhizomes short, ca. 1 cm, bearing clustered, fleshy roots; stolons absent. Stems 1-several, 1-branched, rounded, 2-7.5 dm, glabrous, typically bearing 1 leaf below lowest branch. Leaf blades perfoliate, elliptic to ovate-oblong, 6-13.5 × 2-6.5 cm, white-pubescent (rarely glabrous) on abaxial veins, margins smooth, apex acute. Flowers 1-3(-4) per stem; peduncles 1-2.5 cm, bearing 1 perfoliate bract; tepals golden yellow, 25-50 × 3-10 mm, smooth adaxially, apex acuminate; stamens 10-25 mm; anthers (8-)12-15(-20) mm; connectives 0.3-0.7 mm; ovary sessile, obovoid; style 8-12 mm; stigma lobes 2-5 mm. Capsules obovoid to obpyramidal, 3-lobed, 1-1.5 × 1-2 cm, 2 truncate beaks per lobe, lobes rounded. Seeds 2.5-4.5 mm; arils membranous. 2n = 14. Flowering spring--early summer. Rich moist woods, calcareous to neutral soils; 0--1100 m; Man., Ont., Que.; Ala., Ark., Conn., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., N.H., N.Y., N.C., N.Dak., Ohio, Okla., Pa., S.Dak., Tenn., Vt., Va., W.Va, Wis.