Herbs perennial, 5-15 cm tall, eglandular, with a woody base, pilose, with simple, subappressed trichomes rarely to 1 mm. Stems erect or subdecumbent, branched basally and above, rarely simple, sparsely to densely pilose. Middle cauline leaves sessile, linear, 0.4-3.5 cm × 0.5-1.5(-2.5) mm, base attenuate, margin entire, ciliate with subappressed trichomes, apex obtuse or subacute. Fruiting pedicels divaricate, straight, slender, 4-8 mm, glabrous or sparsely pilose. Sepals oblong, 2.5-3.5 × 1-1.5 mm, often sparsely pilose. Petals lilac or white, obovate, 6-8.5 × 2.5-4 mm, apex rounded; claw 2.5-3.5 mm. Filaments of median stamens 3-3.5 mm, united; filaments of lateral stamens 2-2.5 mm; anthers oblong, 0.6-0.9 mm, apiculate. Ovules 20-30 per ovary. Fruit 1-2.5 cm × 0.9-1.1 mm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, straight, divaricate, somewhat torulose, slightly flattened, midvein prominent; style to 1 mm; stigma slightly lobed. Seeds to 1.4 × 0.9 mm, not margined or winged; cotyledons incumbent. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.

The records of Dontostemon perennis in FRPS from Hebei, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, and Ningxia are based on eglandular plants of D. integrifolius. The present authors have seen no material of D. perennis from China, but, because of its common occurrence in neighboring Mongolia and Russia (Altay, Siberia), it is likely to be found in N Nei Mongol and NW Xinjiang. The illustrations in FRPS (33: 319. 1987) and Fl. Intramongol. (ed. 2, 2: 670. 1990) of D. perennis clearly represent plants of D. integrifolius because D. perennis has a strongly woody base and straight stem trichomes.

Sandy areas, deserts. Nei Mongol [Mongolia, Russia].