Plants perennial, 14--25(--30) cm tall. Stems ca. 1 mm in diam., striate. Basal leaves 2 or 3, cauline leaves usually 2; leaf sheath auricles developed; leaf blade linear, 3--8 cm, perfectly septate, apex acute. Inforescences terminal; heads 1 or 2, hemispheric, 11--15 mm in diam., 4--6-flowered; bracts 3--5, basal one slightly longer than proximal head, others lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate. Perianth segments yellowish white, narrowly lanceolate, 4.3--5 mm, unequal with inner ones slightly longer than outer, apex acute. Stamens 6; filaments 4--4.3 mm; anthers 2--2.2 mm. Ovary ovoid. Style 2--2.5 mm; stigmas 0.7--1 mm. Capsule golden yellow, shiny, longer than perianth, 1-loculed with incomplete septa, apex tapered into a short beak. Seeds sawdustlike, ca. 2.7 mm, white caudate. Fl. Aug--Sep, fr. Oct.

Slopes, trail sides; ca. 3900 m. Xizang [Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim].