Plants 10-50 cm tall. Stem green or reddish purple, branched from base, lower branches ascending, upper branches obliquely spreading. Leaves linear, 2-5 cm × ca. 2 mm, 1-veined, base attenuate, apex acuminate, mucronate. Spikelike inflorescence terete, 4-5 cm × 3-8 mm; bracts lanceolate, ovate, or broadly ovate, mostly 3-veined, margin broadly membranous, apex acute or acuminate. Perianth segments 3, rarely absent, upper one broadly elliptic, apex irregularly denticulate, lower segments subtriangular, smaller. Stamens 5, exserted from perianth. Utricle sublustrous, with a few brown spots, oblong-obovate or broadly elliptic, 2-4 × 1.5-2 mm, glabrous, subglabrous, or covered on both sides with stellate hairs, base cordate, apex rounded; wing distinct, light yellow, margin entire; beak apex 1/4-1/3 as long as beak. Fl. and fr. Jun-Aug.

Corispermum chinganicum seems to be related to C. pallasii Steven s.l., approaching narrow-winged and small-fruited plants of this aggregate (known in Europe as C. membranaceum Iljin or C. pallasii subsp. membranaceum (Iljin) Tzvelev) and some North American entities (C. americanum (Nuttall) Nuttall and C. villosum Rydberg), which, however, never have pubescent utricles. Relationships of these taxa of the C. pallasii group deserve special comparative studies throughout the range of the group.

Dunes, lake shores, meadows. Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia [Mongolia, Russia (SE Siberia)].