Shrubs, evergreen, low, ca. 0.5 m tall. Stems sulcate; branches gray; shoots pale red, glabrous; spines 3-fid, pale yellow, 8-20 mm. Leaves sessile; leaf blade abaxially shiny, green, adaxially dark green, obovate, 1-2.3 × 0.5-1.4 cm, thinly leathery, abaxially openly reticulate, not pruinose, adaxially openly veined, base cuneate, margin entire, apex rounded, mucronate. Flowers 2-4-fascicled. Sepals in 2 whorls; outer sepals elliptic, ca. 3.6 × 1.6-2 mm; inner sepals oblong-elliptic, ca. 6.5 × 4 mm. Petals broadly elliptic, ca. 4.7 × 3.1 mm, base clawed, with separate glands, apex emarginate. Stamens ca. 3 mm; anther connective truncate. Ovules 2, shortly funiculate. Immature fruit seen, style not persistent. Fl. May, fr. Jun-Jul.

● Beside ditches on mountains; ca. 3900 m. Xizang.