Silene otites (Linnaeus) Wibel var. borysthenica Gruner, Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 41(2): 126. 1868; Otites borysthenica (Gruner) Klokov; O. parviflora (Ehrhart) Grossheim; S. parviflora (Ehrhart) Persoon.

Herbs biennial, 30--60 cm, pubescent throughout. Roots robust. Stem solitary, erect, simple or sparsely branched. Basal leaves spatulate, 2--6 cm × 2--5(--10) mm, base attenuate into long petiole, apex acute; cauline leaves sessile, small. Flowers unisexual (plants dioecious), in a racemiform thyrse with many-flowered cymules. Pedicel 2--5 mm, pubescent. Calyx campanulate, 1.5--2.5 mm, pubescent, longitudinal veins greenish. Androgynophore obsolete. Petals white, ca. 1.5 × as long as calyx; claws linear-oblanceolate, ciliate; limbs narrowly orbicular, margin entire; coronal scales absent. Stamens and styles exserted; filaments shortly hairy. Styles 3. Capsule subglobose, ca. 3 mm in diam. Seeds reniform, ca. 0.6 mm. Fl. Jun--Jul, fr. Aug. 2n = 24.

River beaches, grasslands. N Xinjiang [C Asia, Europe].