Silene cryptantha Diels, Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 5: 180. 1912, not Viviani (1824).

Roots brown-yellow. Stems prostrate, purple-green, 20--35 cm, dichotomously branched, pubescent. Leaves subsessile, 1.5--2.5 × 1--1.5 cm, adaxially pilose, base rounded, rarely broadly cuneate, apex entire, acute. Inflorescence a thyrse with a terminal, lax dichasium and 2 opposite, similarly lax and many-flowered dichasia proximally. Flowers 3--5 mm in diam. Pedicel short or flowers sessile. Calyx tubular-campanulate, 4--6 mm, densely glandular pubescent, veins green; calyx teeth triangular-ovate, margin membranous, apex obtuse or acute. Petals 7--8 mm. Stamens exserted beyond calyx, 7--9 mm; anthers yellow. Ovary narrowly obovoid, ca. 7 mm; styles ca. 3 mm. Capsule ca. 7 mm. Seed brown, ca. 3 mm. Fl. Jun--Sep, fr. Jul--Oct.

This species is used medicinally.

* Warm and dry valleys along Jinsha Jiang and Yarlung Zangbo Jiang, rocky mountain slopes, dry pastures, calcareous rock crevices, forests; 900--3800 m. W Guizhou, SW Sichuan, SE Xizang, Yunnan.