Christolea karakorumensis Y. H. Wu & Z. X. An; C. mirabilis (Pampanini) Jafri; C. scaposa Jafri; C. suslovaeana Jafri; Desideria pamirica Suslova.

Plants 2-10 cm tall. Trichomes simple, to 1.5 mm, rarely mixed with forked ones. Stems simple, densely pilose. Basal leaves subfleshy; petiole 3-15 mm, densely pilose, not expanded or papery at base; leaf blade flabellate or spatulate-orbicular, (2-)5-15 × 3-9(-15) mm, pilose, base cuneate, margin 8-10-toothed, apex acute; teeth to 8 mm. Cauline leaves similar to basal. Racemes 8-20-flowered, ebracteate. Fruiting pedicels ascending, straight or curved, 5-10 mm, spreading pilose. Sepals united, (2.5-)3.5-5.5 × 1.5-2.5(-3) mm, persistent, densely pilose, base not saccate; calyx lobes ovate, unequal, 0.5-2 mm, margin membranous. Petals purple or purplish green with yellowish base, obovate, 5-8 × (1.5-)2.5-3 mm, apex obtuse; claw 2.5-4 mm. Filaments white, slightly dilated at base, median pairs (3-)4-5 mm, lateral pair (2-)2.5-3.5 mm; anthers oblong, 0.5-0.8 mm. Ovules 12-18 per ovary. Fruit linear, 1-2(-3) cm × ca. 2 mm, slightly flattened or subterete; valves pilose, distinctly veined; septum perforate or reduced to a narrow rim, membranous; style obsolete to 0.7 mm; stigma 2-lobed. Seeds oblong, 1.5-1.8 × 0.8-1 mm, papillate. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Aug-Sep.

Gravelly slopes; 4000-5000 m. Xinjiang [Kashmir, Tajikistan].