Shrubs small and erect or perennial herbs, 40--150 cm tall. Branches shallowly 4- or 5-grooved, glabrous or only sparsely puberulous near nodes. Leaves both opposite and fasciculate, simple, except apical ones pinnatisect; petiole 0.5--2 cm; leaf blade linear, linear-lanceolate, or lanceolate, 2--8 × 0.2--2 cm, subleathery, undivided or pinnatisect, both surfaces glabrous, base attenuate, margin entire or sparsely denticulate, apex acute to obtuse; basal veins nearly flat or ± prominent. Cymes terminal or axillary, (1- to) few to many flowered; bracts foliaceous. Flowers 1.6--2.8 cm in diam. Pedicel 1--3.5 cm, glabrous. Sepals 4(--6), white, spreading, oblong-obovate to obovate, 5--15 × 3--9 mm, abaxially puberulous to subglabrous, adaxially glabrous or sparsely puberulous, margin abaxially velutinous, apex rounded to subtruncate. Stamens (5--)6--7 mm, glabrous; anthers narrowly oblong, (2--)2.6--4 mm, apex obtuse or occasionally minutely apiculate. Ovaries pubescent. Style 4--6 mm, densely villous. Achenes ovate to obovate, 2.5--3.5 × 1.5--2 mm, densely pubescent; persistent style 1.4--2.6 cm, plumose. Fl. Jun--Aug, fr. Jul--Sep.

Grassy areas, gravelly or rocky slopes, gravelly banks, along streams; 400--2500 m. N Gansu, Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan].