Herbs dwarf, procumbent. Stem absent. Basal leaves 3-6, forming a rosette; petiole finely striped, short, 3-6 cm, glabrous; leaf blade dark purple abaxially, green adaxially, ovate or triangular ovate, 6-12 × 4-8.5 cm, abaxially glabrous, rarely papilliferous along veins, adaxially glabrous, basal veins 5, leathery, base rounded or slightly cordate, margin entire, palmately divided to pinnate, apex obtusely acute. Panicle spiciform; rachis 2-5, nearly equal to leaf. Pedicel ca. 2 mm, slender. Tepals yellow-white or with some red, narrowly oblong or oblong-elliptic, inner 3 larger, ca. 2 mm. Anthers purple-red. Fruit ovoid or broadly ovoid, 7-8 × 5-6 mm; wings narrow, 1-1.5 mm, with longitudinal veins at middle. Seeds ovoid, ca. 3 mm wide. Fl. Jul, fr. Aug-Sep.

Slopes, river banks; 4500-5300 m. C and W Xizang [Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, E Tajikistan].