Plants erect, 10-40 cm tall, with tufted growth; runners prostrate, hairy or not. Basal leaves 8-15 mm long, glabrous, lanceolate, petiole sheathing. Cauline leaves sessile, oblong to lanceolate, brown-villous at the base. Stem and pedicels brown villous. Flowers 1-4, yellow, spotted reddish orange. Sepals free, 3-4 mm long, oblong, margin brown-villous. Petals 8-10 (-12) mm long, broadly elliptic, obtuse. Stamens as long as or longer than the sepals. Styles c. 1 mm long. Capsule c. 1 cm long.

Type: Described from Europe.

Distributed in the arctic and sub-arctic regions of Europe, Caucasus and C. Asia, Schonbeck-Temesy, l.c. and Hartmann, l.c. report this variety from Karakorum, but no specimens are cited. The specimens we have from the Karakorum are of var. alpina. Hara in Kitamura, Fl.Pl.W.Pak. & Afghan. 80.1964, cites a specimen from Karakorum, also belonging to variety alpina. The record of var. hirculus thus needs to be confirmed.