Herbs perennial, cushionlike, 2-4 cm tall. Stems usually surpassing cushion, sparsely short appressed pubescent. Petiole of basal leaves 1-2 cm; leaf blade oblong to long elliptic, 3-12 × 2-4 mm, abaxially glabrous or nearly so, adaxially sparsely appressed pubescent; stem leaves 1 or 2. Inflorescences racemose, 1-1.5 cm, 2-5-flowered. Pedicel 3-7 mm, short appressed pubescent. Calyx lobes lanceolate-linear, 1.5-2 mm, appressed pubescent outside, subglabrous inside. Corolla light purple, campanulate-rotate; tube ca. 1.2 mm; appendages transversely oblong, 0.5-0.7 mm, surpassing throat; limb ca. 5 mm wide; lobes obovate to suborbicular, ca. 2 mm. Anthers elliptic, ca. 0.5 mm. Nutlets dorsiventrally compressed, ca. 2 × 1 mm excluding marginal prickles, adaxially keeled, glabrous; abaxially slightly convex, ovate-triangular, sparsely pubescent or glabrous, margin with a glabrous or sparsely pubescent, erose, membranous wing; attachment scar at middle or slightly above adaxially. Fl. and fr. Jul-Aug.

* Sand, rock piles, sunny foothills; 3400-4900 m. Gansu (Tianzhu Xian), Qinghai (Zhidoi Xian).