Melandrium longipes Handel-Mazzetti; M. melananthum (Franchet) Handel-Mazzetti; Silene longipes (Handel-Mazzetti) C. Y. Wu.

Herbs perennial, ca. 30 cm tall. Roots long conical. Stems sparsely caespitose, ascending, simple, apically pubescent. Basal leaves narrowly oblanceolate, 8--12 cm × 5--7 mm, glabrous, margin ciliate, midvein prominent, base attenuate into long petiole, apex acute; distal leaves lanceolate, small. Cymes few flowered; flowers slightly nutant. Pedicel 1--3 cm, glandular hairy; bracts small, herbaceous. Calyx violet, campanulate, 1.2--1.4 cm × 3.5--5 mm; longitudinal veins violet, cohering at apex, glandular hairy; calyx teeth triangular-ovate, mucronulate at apex. Androgynophore ca. 2 mm. Petals dark violet, 1.5--1.8 cm, exserted beyond ca. 1/3 × length of calyx, claws obovoid, glabrous, with orbicular auricles, margin erose; limbs broadly obovate, deeply 4-lobed; medial lobes broadly band-shaped, truncate at apex, sometimes toothed; lateral lobes spreading, linear; coronal scales subsquarrose, indented-toothed. Stamens included; filaments glabrous. Styles included. Capsule ovoid, 8--10 mm. Fl. Aug.

This species is probably best regarded as conspecific with Silene scopulorum, because it is impossible to find sharp discontinuities in any of the characters used for separating them.

* Grasslands; 2800--3800(--4200) m. NW Yunnan.