Silene pachyrrhiza Franchet; S. repens var. angustifolia Turczaninow ex Regel f.sinensis F. N. Williams; S. repens var. latifolia Turczaninow; S. repens var. sinensis (F. N. Williams) C. L. Tang; S. repens var. vulgaris Turczaninow; S. repens var. xilingensis Y. Z. Zhao.

Herbs perennial, 15--50 cm tall, shortly pubescent or glabrous throughout. Rhizome slender, branched. Stems solitary or sparsely caespitose, ascending, basally usually lignified, simple or sometimes branched. Leaves with short, sterile axillary branches, linear-lanceolate, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or orbicular-lanceolate, (1.5--)2--7 cm × (1--)3--10(--12) mm, sparsely pubescent, ciliate at margin, midvein prominent, base cuneate. Flowers in a racemiform thyrse; cymules usually 3--7-flowered, usually opposite, distal cymules often capitate. Pedicel 1--8 mm; bracts lanceolate. Calyx often violet-tinged, tubular to clavate, 1--1.5 cm × 3--4.5 mm, pubescent. Androgynophore 4--6(--8) mm, shortly pubescent. Petal claws oblanceolate, without auricles; limbs not exserted beyond calyx, white, rarely yellowish white, obovate, usually 5--7 mm, bifid to middle or less. Stamens and styles slightly exserted; filaments glabrous. Styles 3. Capsule ovoid, 6--8 mm, shorter than calyx. Seeds black-brown, reniform, ca. 1 mm. Fl. Jun--Aug, fr. Jul--Sep. 2n = 24, 48.

This taxon is very variable and in urgent need of taxonomic revision on a global scale.

Forests, grasslands, stream edges, stony mountain grasslands, dry steppes, sand dunes, grasslands, mountain summit steppes; 1500--3500 m. NW Gansu, Hebei, Jilin, Nei Mongol, N Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang [Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia; NW North America].