Plants 20-45 cm tall, densely villous. Stem branched throughout, reddish purple; lower branches ascending or obliquely spreading. Leaves oblong-ovate, complanate, 0.6-1.2 cm × 3-4 mm, fleshy, densely pubescent on both surfaces, base broadly cuneate, apex acute; upper leaves smaller. Perianth slightly succulent; winglike appendages of segments broadly ovate or suborbicular, base hairy, margin entire or slightly serrulate. Fl. and fr. Jul-Sep.

Gobi desert, deserts, sandy places, wastelands, roadsides. Xinjiang [Kazakhstan; SW Asia (S Caucasus)].