Perenial monoecious herb. Rhizome cylindrical, 4-20 cm long, 1.5-3 cm thick with scaly radical leaves on the apical part. Flowering stem 5-12 in each rosette, deciduous, simple, erect, glabrous, 13-30 cm high, 3-6 mm wide at anthesis. Cauline leaves remotely or irregularly crenulate in the upper half, but nearly entire in the lower half, obtuse, glabrous, linear to narrowly ovate, 7.5-30 x 1-6 mm. Inflorescence terminal, compact corymb, bracteate. Bract similar to the cauline leaves. Flowers bisexual, usually 5-merous, rarely 4 or 6-merous, hypogynous, pedicel 1-5 mm long. Calyx 4.5-8.5 x 1-1.7 mm, lobes basally connate, glabrous, entire, round, narrowly triangular to subulate. Petals glabrous, entire, obtuse, elliptic, boat-shaped, 5.5-11 x 1.5-2.5 mm. Stamens 8-12, slightly shorter or longer than the petals, in two whorls, basifixed, epipetalous 7-8 mm long, alternipetalous 7.5-12 mm long. Carpel 7-14 x 1-2 mm, style straight, 2-4 mm long, ovary 5-10 x 1-2 mm, ovules 26-36 per locule. Nectar scale oblong to broadly oblong, 0.8-1.2 x 0.6-0.8 mm. Follicles 7-14 x 1.5-2 mm. Seeds 26-36 per fruit, ellipsoidal, 1-2 x 0.3-0.7 mm.

Fl. Per.: July-September.

Type: Hooker’s Icones Plantarum 7: t. 604. 1844, which was based on a plant cultivated at Kew, raised from seeds sent by Royle.

Grows from 3000-4500 m among boulders, on rocks, slopes, moraine and alpine meadows; Distribution: Pakistan, N. India, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, China (Xizang, Yunnan).