Herbs perennial, forming lax mats. Shoots sparsely white villous, becoming glabrous and dark purplish brown, internodes 1.5--3 cm. Leaf rosettes grayish green, 1.5--2.5 cm in diam. Leaves sessile, obscurely dimorphic. Outer leaves yellowish brown, linear to narrowly ligulate, 3--6 X 1--1.5 mm. Inner leaves linear to linear-lanceolate, 7--12 X 1.5--2.5 mm, ± white villous near apex. Leaves of sterile shoots lanceolate, 4--7 X 1--2 mm, glabrescent or sparsely pubescent near apex, margin revolute. Scapes 1.5--4(--10) cm, scapes and inflorescences white villous; umbels 3--5(--8)-flowered; bracts elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 3--5 mm. Pedicel 5--8 mm. Calyx 2.5--3 mm, parted to ± middle; lobes ovate, apex obtuse. Corolla white, becoming pink, 4.5--6 mm in diam.; lobes obovate to oblong-obovate, margin entire to slightly emarginate, apex rounded. Fl. Jun.

Dry meadows, open woodlands; 2500--3100 m. W Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan].