Perennials 4-10 cm tall, base surrounded by numerous black remnants of old leaves. Taproot short, stout. Stems ascending, 6-7 cm, simple, sometimes papillate. Leaves flat; petiole to 1 cm, membranous; leaf blade base narrowed, margin cartilaginous, apex acute to obtuse, midvein scabrous. Basal leaves forming a rosette; leaf blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 1.5-2 cm × 4-6 mm. Stem leaves 7-12 pairs; lower leaves widely spaced, leaf blade broadly oblong, ovate, or ovate-orbicular, 4-7 × 2.5-4 mm; upper leaves crowded, leaf blade elliptic-lanceolate, elliptic, or oblanceolate, 1-1.6 cm × 4-8 mm. Flowers terminal, solitary, sessile. Calyx tube obconic, 0.8-1.2 cm, membranous; lobes obovate to spatulate, 5-10 mm, unequal, herbaceous, base narrowed, margin cartilaginous, apex obtuse, midvein scabrous. Corolla pale blue-gray, rarely white, with dark blue spots and stripes, tubular-campanulate to campanulate, 2.5-4 cm; lobes ovate, 4-4.5 mm, margin entire, apex obtuse and cuspidate, awned; plicae ovate, 2-2.5 mm, margin entire, apex obtuse. Stamens inserted at middle of corolla tube; filaments 0.8-1.2 cm; anthers narrowly ellipsoid, 4-4.5 mm. Style 1-1.5 cm; stigma lobes narrowly triangular. Capsules ovoid-ellipsoid, 1.5-1.7 cm; gynophore to 6 mm. Seeds dark brown, ellipsoid, 1.3-1.5 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun-Nov.

3200-4600 m. Gansu, Qinghai, W Sichuan, Xizang [NW India, Nepal]