Herbs perennial, 1.5-3 cm tall, densely cespitose, scapose. Caudex several and compactly branched, ultimate branches terminated in rosettes and covered with leaf remains of previous years. Stems erect, simple, tomentose with stellate trichomes. Basal leaves rosulate, persistent; petiole to 2 mm, ciliate with simple trichomes; leaf blade oblanceolate, 2-10 × 0.5-2.5 mm, densely tomentose with stellate trichomes the rays of which with 1 or 2 lateral branches, base attenuate, margin entire, apex obtuse or subacute. Cauline leaves absent. Racemes 3-10-flowered, ebracteate or lowermost flower bracteate, slightly elongated in fruit. Fruiting pedicels 1-3 mm, divaricate, straight or slightly recurved, tomentose all around with stellate trichomes. Sepals oblong, 1-1.2 × ca. 0.6 mm, erect, densely tomentose outside, sparsely tomentose inside, base of lateral pair not saccate, margin not membranous. Petals white, narrowly obovate, 1.5-2 × 0.6-0.8 mm, abaxially sparsely tomentose, apex rounded. Filaments 0.8-1.2 mm; anthers ovate, ca. 0.2 mm. Ovules 6-12 per ovary. Fruit oblong, 3-5 × 1-1.5 mm, not inflated, latiseptate, not twisted; valves densely puberulent with simple and forked trichomes, obscurely veined, base and apex obtuse; style 0.1-0.4 mm. Seeds brown, ovate, 0.6-0.8 × 0.4-0.5 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul.

Draba handelii is unique among all Chinese species of the genus in having sepals sparsely tomentose adaxially and petals with a few stellate trichomes abaxially. Except for the type collection, Handel-Mazzetti 9502 (holotype, WU; isotype, W), the present authors have seen no other material of D. handelii. The records and illustrations in FRPS (p. 162, 164) and Fl. Xizang. (2: 352, 354. 1985) of Draba handelii from Xizang are based on misidentified plants of D. glomerata.

* Granitic rock crevices; 4000-4100 m. NW Yunnan.