Herbs perennial, 10--30 cm tall, glabrous throughout. Stems caespitose, erect or ascending, simple, usually with clustered sterile shoots at base. Basal leaves few, small. Cymes often 2--5-flowered, rarely numerous or solitary flowered. Pedicel 2--5 cm, slender; bracts linear-lanceolate, ciliate. Flowers erect, 1.5--2 cm in diam. Calyx campanulate, 1.2--1.5 cm × 3.5--7 mm, glabrous, rarely densely pubescent, base rounded; longitudinal veins violet, inconspicuous, cohering at apex; calyx teeth triangular-ovate, 2--4 mm, margin membranous, shortly ciliate, apex rounded or obtuse. Androgynophore 3--4 mm, villous. Petals pale red, 1.5--2 cm; claws inserted or slightly exserted beyond calyx, oblanceolate, 8--10 mm, eciliate, auricles inconspicuous; limbs obovate or broadly ovate, 7--9 mm, shallowly bifid, rarely deeply lobed to middle; lobes nearly orbicular, slightly waved or obscurely laciniate, sometimes with 1 small linear lobe or obtuse tooth on each lateral side; coronal scales subreniform or lanceolate, 1--3 mm, margin often irregularly dentate. Stamens slightly exserted; filaments glabrous. Styles slightly exserted. Capsule ovoid, 6--8 mm. Seeds dark brown, globose-reniform, ca. 1.5 mm, with a marginal rim of spinose processes. Fl. Jul, fr. Aug.

* Rock crevices in forests and mountains, mountain grasslands; 1200--2700 m. Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan.