Melandrium apetalum (Linnaeus) Fenzl var. himalayense Rohrbach, Linnaea 36: 220. 1869; Lychnis apetala Linnaeus var. pallida Edgeworth & J. D. Hooker; L. himalayensis (Rohrbach) Edgeworth; L. macrorhiza Royle ex Bentham; M. apertum Pax & K. Hoffmann; M. himalayense (Rohrbach) Y. Z. Zhao; M. macrorhizum (Royle ex Bentham) Walpers; M. qomolangmaense Y. W. Tsui & P. Ke ex L. H. Zhou; M. souliei F. N. Williams; Silene gonosperma (Ruprecht) Bocquet subsp. himalayensis (Rohrbach) Bocquet; S. madens Majumdar.

Herbs perennial, 20--80 cm tall. Roots robust. Stems sparsely clustered or solitary, erect, slender, simple, pubescent, apically sparsely glandular hairy. Basal leaves narrowly oblanceolate, 4--10 cm × 4--10 mm, both surfaces pubescent to subglabrous, margin ciliate, base attenuate into petiole, apex acuminate, rarely acute; cauline leaves 3--6 pairs, oblanceolate or linear-lanceolate, base cuneate or attenuate. Flowers 3--7, slightly nutant. Pedicel 1--5 cm, slender, densely pubescent, sparsely glandular hairy; bracts linear-lanceolate, herbaceous, hairy. Calyx ovoid-campanulate, 1--1.2 cm, closed in fruit, densely pubescent, glandular hairy, veins violet, anastomosing and broadly confluent above; calyx teeth triangular, margin membranous, ciliate, apex obtuse. Androgynophore ca. 1 mm. Petals not or slightly exserted beyond calyx, dark red, ca. 1 cm; claws cuneate, glabrous, auricles not obvious; limbs shallowly bifid at apex; coronal scales small. Stamens included; filaments glabrous. Styles included. Capsule ovoid, 8--10 mm, shorter than calyx, 10-toothed. Seeds brown, orbicular, flat, ca. 1.5 mm in diam. including wing. Fl. Jun--Jul, fr. Jun--Aug.

This species is distinct from Silene gonosperma by its more floriferous inflorescence and smaller, more inflated calyx with peculiar venation.

Scrub, alpine meadows; 2000--5000 m. Hebei, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sikkim].