Gypsophila acutifolia Fischer ex Sprengel var. gmelinii (Bunge) Regel; G. gmelinii Bunge.

Herbs perennial, 25--60 cm tall, glabrous. Roots thick, 5--10 mm in diam., woody. Stems ascending or erect. Leaves linear, 1.5--4 cm × 1--3 mm, base connate into a short sheath, apex acute; basal leaves fascicled; cauline leaves few. Cymes terminal, laxly few flowered; bracts lanceolate or triangular, 2--3 × ca. 1 mm, margin membranous, ciliate, apex acuminate. Pedicel slender, 0.5--2 cm. Calyx lilac membranous between green or purplish, broad veins, campanulate, 2--3 mm; lobes ovate, margin membranous, sparsely ciliate, apex acute. Petals purple-red, obovate, base cuneate, apex retuse. Stamens shorter than petals; filaments linear, flat; anthers yellow, subglobose. Ovary ovoid, ca. 1.5 mm. Styles ca. 3.5 mm. Capsule ovoid, longer than calyx. Seeds brown-red, compressed reniform-globose, 0.8--1.2 mm, both surfaces smooth; raphe tuberculate. Fl. Jun--Sep, fr. Jul--Oct.

Grassy mountain slopes, rocky slopes, Gobi Desert rock crevices, sands; 600--3400 m. Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, N Mongolia, Russia (Siberia)].