Herbs annual. Stems much branched, 15-30 cm tall, white hispid. Basal leaves numerous, forming a rosette, sessile, spatulate to narrowly oblong or linear-lanceolate, 2-3 cm × 2-4 mm, abaxially densely spreading white hispid, hairs discoid at base, adaxially glabrous or sometimes sparsely hispid, base attenuate, margin entire, apex obtuse; stem leaves narrowly oblong to oblanceolate. Inflorescences short at anthesis, to 12 cm in fruit; bracts lanceolate to narrowly ovate. Fruiting pedicel usually curved, ca. 3 mm. Flowers short pedicellate. Calyx 5-parted; lobes oblong, 1-1.5 mm, to 3 × 0.5 mm in fruit, hispid. Corolla light blue, campanulate, ca. 3 mm; limb ca. 2 mm wide; lobes obtuse. Gynobase not surpassing nutlets. Nutlets homomorphic or heteromorphic, narrowly lanceolate, 3-4 mm, adaxially tuberculate or glabrous; disc with scattered tubercles, center line keel usually with short prickles or tubercles; marginal glochids in a single row, bases slightly wider and contiguous. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.

Alluvial fans, gravelly slopes, dunes, deserts. Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang [Afghanistan, NW India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia]