Stems erect, 5--20 cm tall, simple or branched, usually glaucous toward base, glandular viscid. Basal leaves narrowed into petiole, oblanceolate; cauline ones sessile, elliptic, 1--3 cm × 3--6 mm, abaxially pubescent, margin ciliate, apex acute. Flowers in umbels. Pedicel deflexed after anthesis, erect in fruit, 1--1.5 cm, slender, pubescent. Sepals oblong, 3--4 mm, abax-ially pubescent, margin membra-nous, apex obtuse. Petals white or pale pink, oblong, subequaling or longer than sepals, apex dentate. Stamens 5. Capsule cylindric, somewhat narrowed above, ca. 2 × as long as sepals. Seeds reddish brown, 0.5--1 mm. Fl. May--Jul, fr. Jun--Jul. 2n = 20.

Chinese plants belong to subsp. umbellatum .

Shady mountain grassland slopes; ca. 2300 m. Xinjiang [Afghanistan, India, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia; Europe, SW Asia].