Perennial herb with small napiform tubers on the creeping rhizomes. Stems simple 6-15 cm, slender, decumbent to erect, with a longitudinal line of hairs between the nodes. Leaves 20-50 x 7-12 mm, oblong-elliptic, glabrous or sparsely hairy on the surface and margin, acute, base sessile or narrowed into a short petiole. Flowers terminal and axillary, solitary, rarely 2; axillary Howe borne lower on the stem, cleistogamous apetalous, fertile, producing seeds. Sepals 4, 2.5-3 mm, sparsely pilose, ovate-lanceolate with a white scarious margin Capsule globose with about 4 seeds. Seeds subreniform, 1.5 mm, tuberculate Terminal flowers larger, with capillary pedicels. Sepal 4-5 mm, lanceolate, glabrot with a few hairs on the mid nerve. Petals white, longer than the sepals.

Fl. Per.: April-June. Fr. Per.: July.

Type: Described from N.W. Himalaya & Kashmir.

Distribution: Temperate Himalaya, from Chitral & Kashmir eastward to Bhutan, S.E. Tibet, Sikkim, W. China.

Common. After flowering the plant increases in size. This species has a rather confused nomenculature and taxonomy and I have followed the treatment given by Ohwi (1935).