Herbs, annual, 10-20 cm tall. Taproot terete, prolonged, upper part 2-4 mm in diam. Stems erect, glaucous, dichotomously branched from near base, glabrous. Basal leaves: petiole flat, 1.5-2.5 cm; leaf blade glaucous on both surfaces, obovate-oblong, pinnatilobate, 4-8 × 1-5 cm, both surfaces glabrous; lobes broadly ovate, margin crenate, apex setose mucronate. Cauline leaves ovate-suborbicular, 2-4 × 1-3 cm, base cordate, amplexicaul, margin undulate-serrate. Flowers solitary, terminal. Flower buds fusiform, 10-20 × 4-7 mm, papillose. Petals orange, reddish at base, broadly obovate, ca. 2 cm. Stamens 6-11 mm; filaments linear, gradually broader toward base; anthers oblong, ca. 1.8 mm. Ovary terete, ca. 1.5 cm, nearly glabrous, almost astylous; stigmas 2-lobed. Capsule linear-terete, 10-16 cm × ca. 2 mm, sparsely subconically aculeate, dehiscing from base to apex; carpopodium 5-10 mm, thick. Seeds reniform-oblong, 1.7-2 mm, seed coat black-brown, alveolate. Fl. and fr. May-Jul. 2n = 12.

This taxon probably equates with Glaucium pumilum Boissier and G. tenue Regel & Schmalhausen.

Deserts, stony slopes on low mountains, river sands and gravel; 700-800 m. Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia (Caucasus, Iran)].