Herbs perennial, 1-5(-8) cm tall, cespitose. Caudex simple or few branched, ultimate branches terminated in rosettes and covered with petiolar remains of previous years. Stems erect or rarely decumbent, simple or branched, tomentose basally with stellate trichomes, glabrous along distal half. Basal leaves rosulate; petiole 1-4(-8) mm, persistent and becoming stramineous, rarely ciliate with simple trichomes; leaf blade oblanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, 3-10(-15) × 1-3(-6) mm, abaxially densely tomentose with sessile, stellate trichomes 2 or all 4 rays of which with a lateral branch on each side, adaxillay similar or with simple trichomes also, rarely subglabrous, base attenuate, margin entire, apex acute. Cauline leaves 2-6(-8), sessile; leaf blade ovate to oblong, 3-10(-17) × 1-4(-7) mm, uppermost subglabrous or indumentum as basal leaves, base obtuse or subamplexicaul, margin subentire or minutely 1-4-toothed on each side, apex obtuse or acute. Racemes 6-16(-20)-flowered, ebracteate, elongated slightly in fruit. Fruiting pedicels 1-3.5(-5) mm, divaricate, slightly curved upward or straight, stout, glabrous. Sepals oblong, 0.9-1.1 × 0.4-0.5 mm, erect, abaxially sparsely pubescent with simple trichomes, base of lateral pair not saccate, margin not membranous. Petals yellow drying whitish, narrowly spatulate, 1-1.5 × 0.5-0.6 mm, apex subemarginate. Filaments 0.8-1 mm; anthers ovate, ca. 0.2 mm. Ovules 24-38 per ovary. Fruit linear to oblong-linear, 4-10 × 1-1.5 mm, not inflated, slightly latiseptate, not twisted; valves glabrous, often with a distinct midvein, base and apex obtuse; style absent. Seeds brown, ovate, 0.5-0.8(-0.9) × 0.3-0.4(-0.5) mm. Fl. and fr. Jul-Aug.
* Dry mountain slopes, rocky outcrops, frost-heave areas, dry grasslands, steppe on moraine sands; 4100-5000 m. Qinghai, Xizang.
The above first record from Qinghai is based on Ho, Bartholomew, Watson & Gilbert 1602 (BM, CAS, E, HNWP, MO).
