Stems more than 5 cm tall, to 19 cm at fruiting, simple. Leaves 3 or 4, all basal or subbasal, or with 1 or 2 leaves near middle of stem; petiole 1--4 cm, base narrowly sheathed; leaf blade not green when dried, pentagonal, 0.8--2.1 × 1.4--4.5 cm, base cordate, 3-sect nearly to base; central segment rhombic-obovate or cuneate, 3-lobed, with 2 or 3 irregular triangular teeth; lateral segments unequally 2-fid. Flower solitary, terminal, 1.8--3.4 cm in diam. Sepals 5(or 6), yellow, abaxially usually dark purple, not green when dried, broadly ovate, 1--1.5 × 0.9--1.5 cm, apex rounded or subtruncate, persistent, rarely caducous. Petals spatulate-linear, shorter than stamens, ca. 5 × 0.5--0.8 mm. Stamens ca. 7 mm. Follicles 6--9(--25), 0.9--1.2 cm; persistent style erect, ca. 2 mm. Seeds ellipsoid-globose, ca. 1 mm. Fl. Jun--Jul, fr. Aug.

* Grassy slopes, alpine meadows; 3500--4700 m. S Gansu, E and S Qinghai, S Shaanxi, W Sichuan, NE and SE Xizang, NW Yunnan.