Herbs perennial, often glabrous. Stems densely tufted, slightly erect, quadrangular, 10--30 cm tall, slender, glabrous or with 2 lines of hairs; sterile branches axillary from proximal leaves present. Leaves sessile, pinkish green, linear to lanceolate, 0.5--4(--5) cm × 1.5--3(--4) mm, basal margin sparsely ciliate, midvein inconspicuous, base slightly narrowed, apex acute. Flowers many or sometimes few, in terminal or axillary cymes, 7--11 mm in diam.; bracts lanceolate, 2(--5) mm, midvein conspicuous, margin membranous. Pedicel 0.5--2.5 cm, to 3.8 cm in fruit, slender. Sepals 5, green, lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, 4--4.5 mm or longer, shiny, 3-veined, margin membranous, apex acuminate. Petals 5, slightly shorter or longer than sepals, 2-cleft nearly to base. Stamens 10; filaments filiform, glabrous, 4--4.5 mm; anthers brown, broadly ellipsoid, ca. 0.3 mm. Ovary ovoid-oblong; styles 3(or 4), ca. 2 mm. Capsule ovoid-cylindric, much longer than persistent sepals. Seeds black-brown, nearly compressed orbicular, granulose. Fl. May--Jul, fr. Aug--Sep. 2n = 26, 39, 52.

Forests, forest margins, grasslands, grassy slopes, rock crevices; 1400--4000(--4200) m. Gansu, Hubei, Qinghai, Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang [Afghanistan, India, Kashmir, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, ?Sikkim; Europe].