Caudex long; persistent old flowering stems present. Caudex leaves scalelike, triangular. Flowering stems usually reddish, 10-50 cm, with many small, hyaline glands. Stem leaves alternate, loosely imbricate, sessile, narrowly lanceolate, lanceolate, oblanceolate, oblong-oblanceolate, or obovate, 0.7-2.7 × 0.2-1 cm, finely mammillate especially on margin, midvein conspicuous, base rounded, margin entire or apically dentate, apex acute to apiculate. Inflorescences corymbiform. Flowers unisexual, male ones unequally 4- or 5-merous; pedicel slender. Sepals narrowly triangular, 1.5-2 mm, base connate. Petals deep purple, oblong-lanceolate, 3-4 mm. Stamens 8 or 10, 2-3 mm. Nectar scales oblong, apex emarginate. Carpels suberect or erect, lanceolate, 2-9 mm. Styles recurved, short. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Aug.

Forests, scrub, slopes; 2600-4200 m. S Gansu, Qinghai, NW Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim].