Shrublets, densely pulvinate. Cushions 20--30 cm wide. Branchlets very slow growing; current year's branches very short, inconspicuous, with few densely appressed leaves. Leaf blade lanceolate to linear, 3--7 X 0.8--1.2 mm, very shallowly obdeltate to subcomplanate in cross section, usually pale glaucous, apex acuminate and conspicuously awned. Inflorescences without a rachis, spikelet borne in leaf axil or at base of current year's branch; spikelet 1--3-flowered; bracts broadly ovate, ca. 3 mm, glabrous, apex acute; first bractlet 5--6 mm, glabrous, apex acute. Calyx 7--8 mm, tube sparsely velvety along ribs or glabrescent; limb dark purple, glabrous, obscurely 10-lobed to subtruncate, veins extending to apex. Corolla light purple to light red. Fl. Jun-Sep, fr. Jul-Oct.

Slopes of alpine grasslands; 2000--4000 m. SW Xinjiang [Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan]