Herbs annual. Stem prostrate, 6-16 cm, richly branched from base, sparsely white puberulous, hairs incurved. Petiole 1-2 mm; leaf blade narrowly obovate, obovate, or elliptic, sometimes orbicular on lower leaves, 2-7 × 1-2.5 mm, abaxially slightly powdery-puberulous, adaxially glabrous, base attenuate into a short petiole, apex obtuse or retuse. Flowers subtended by 4 leaflike floral bracts, borne in terminal or axillary dichasia, rarely solitary, with much of plant often composed of elongated compound dichasia in which branches often develop unequally. Calyx tube 2-3.5 × 1-1.5 mm, 5-ribbed; teeth 5, subulate, 0.5-1 mm. Petals 5, pink to violet, oblong-oblanceolate, oblong- obovate, or spatulate, 3-4(-5) × 0.7-1.4 mm, attenuate below middle, apex erose denticulate; ligule oblanceolate-elliptic. Stamens 6. Ovary with numerous ovules on 3 parietal placentas. Capsule oblong-ovoid, ca. 2 × 1 mm. Seeds numerous, golden brown, oblong-ellipsoid, 0.5-0.7 × ca. 0.3 mm, acute in lower part. Fl. and fr. May-Aug. 2n = 20.

Frankenia pulverulenta is listed as rare in China by Mao (in Fu & Jin, China Pl. Red Data Book 1: 310-311. 1992).

High-salinity grasslands of floodlands, by lakes, always on moist and slightly alkaline soils in desert regions; 1200-1500 m. Gansu (Minqin), W Nei Mongol (Ejin Qi), Xinjiang (Xinyuan) [Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan; N and S Africa, C and SW Asia, S Europe; introduced in Australia and the Americas].