Clumped perennial herb, spreading by numerous thin, scaly soboles; stems 5-20 (-30) cm tall, branching from base or rarely above, ascending or decumbent, strigillose, sometimes with broad lines of hairs on internodes. Leaves (0.5-) 1-2 cm long, 0.15-0.7 cm wide, elliptic or oblong to lanceolate, often narrowly so, denticulate, on petioles 0-3 mm long. Flowers suberect; floral tube 0.6-1.1 mm long; sepals 2-3.5 mm long; petals 3.5-6.5 mm long, white, often turning pink or rose; stigma subcapitate to broadly clavate. Capsules 26-55 mm long, glabrescent to sparsely strigillose, on pedicels 9-22 mm long. Seeds 1-1.3 mm long, the surface papillose; coma white, rather persistent. Chromosome number unknown. Flowers late Jul-Sep; fruit Aug-early Nov.
ILAN: Nanhutashan, Hsu 5998, Peng 5796. TAICHUNG: Hsuehshan, Peng 7984; Mt. Nenggao, Bartlett 6214. NANTOU: Hohuanshan, Peng 8297. CHIAYI: Tatachia, Peng 9009; Yushan, Suzuki s. n. 1924. KAOHSIUNG: Tienchih, Huang & Yang 1845. HUALIEN: Hohuanshan, Kao 7802; Konankuan, Chuang & Kao 4257.
Distribution: Endemic to Taiwan. Occurs on loose scree or gravel in open moist places or rarely in shaded places in the mountains; 2,650-3,600 m.
S. S. Ying (Quart. J. Chin. Forest. 8: 121) first published this name in 1975. Even though Ying provided a Latin diagnosis, he failed to indicate which of the two cited specimens was the holotype. Article 37.1 of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature specifies that, after 1 Jan 1958, a name is not validly published without clear indication of the holotype. This requirement was satisfied by C. J. Chen et al. in 1992 in their treatment of Chinese Epilobium.
