Herbs perennial, 5.5-10 cm tall. Stem simple, brown glandular hairy. Basal leaves aggregated into a rosette; leaf blade spatulate, 0.8-1.4 cm × 2-3 mm, adaxially smooth or sometimes subpustulate distally, glabrous or margin sometimes cartilaginous setose-ciliate, apex obtuse. Cauline leaves oblong to subspatulate, 4.5-6.6 × 1.5-2 mm, both surfaces brown glandular hairy or adaxially glabrous, margin brown glandular hairy. Cyme umbelliform or compoundly so, 3-5.5 cm, 2-23-flowered; pedicels slender, 0.7-1.7 cm, brown glandular hairy. Sepals usually erect, ovate to narrowly triangular-ovate, 2.2-3.5 × ca. 1.3 mm, abaxially and marginally ± brown glandular hairy, veins 3, not confluent at apex, apex subobtuse or acute. Petals yellow, pale yellow, white, or pink, pandurate to pandurate-oblong, 6.5-9 × 2.9-3.2 mm, 2-callose, 3-5-veined, base contracted into a claw 0.4-0.5 mm, apex obtuse to acute. Stamens ca. 3 mm. Ovary subsuperior, broadly ovoid, ca. 1 mm; styles ca. 0.5 mm. Fl. Jun-Sep. 2n = 16*.

Two of the present authors (Gornall and Ohba) believe that at least three species should be recognized within this complex: Saxifraga lhasana, S. pasumensis (possibly with S. muricola as a variety), and S. umbellulata. Saxifraga lhasana and S. pasumensis can be distinguished from S. umbellulata by having basal leaves adaxially smooth (vs. subpustulate distally) and margin cartilaginous setose-ciliate; S. lhasana can be further distinguished by having white (vs. yellow) petals.

Forests, scrub, marshlands, alpine rock crevices, sunny cliffs; 3000-4700 m. E and S Xizang [Nepal, Sikkim].