Main root 10-30 cm or longer. Caudex thick; persistent old flowering stems present. Winter bud at apex of rhizome inconspicuous. Caudex leaves brown, scalelike, orbicular-triangular, ca. 5 × 6-8 mm. Flowering stems erect or curved, 1-5 cm × less than 1 mm or 1.5-2 mm. Stem leaves alternate, sessile, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, (3-)5-7 × (0.6-)1-1.5 mm, margin entire, apex subobtuse to acute or acuminate to long acuminate. Inflorescences corymbiform, compact, 0.8-1 cm in diam., few flowered. Flowers unisexual, (4 or)5-merous, longer than pedicel. Sepals red, oblong or lanceolate to triangular-oblong, 1.5-4 mm, apex obtuse or acute to acuminate. Petals red or yellow, oblong-ovate to subobovate or lanceolate to broadly oblong, apically constricted, 1.5-4 mm, apex subobtuse to obtuse. Stamens (8-)10, 3-4 cm. Follicles red when mature, ovoid to oblong-ovoid, apical beak reflexed, very short. Seeds brown, oblong, 1-1.5 mm, winged. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Jul-Sep.

Alpine regions, stony soils, rocks, rock crevices on slopes; 2200-5300 m. Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, NW Yunnan [Afghanistan, Bhutan, NW India, Kashmir, Nepal, Sikkim].