Pterococcus aphyllus Pallas, Reise Russ. Reich. 2: 332. 1773; Calligonum pallasia L’Héritier; C. polygonoides Pallas (1773), not Linnaeus (1753); C. rigidum Litvinov.

Shrubs 0.8-2 m tall. Old branches flexuous, grayish brown or purple-brown; herbaceous branchlets of current year green, slender; joints 1-3 cm. Leaves easily deciduous, linear, 2-4 mm; ocrea not united to leaf. Pedicel red, 4-5 mm, jointed below middle. Flowers 1-3, at leaf axils. Tepals white, green, or red, ovate, with broad white margin abaxially, unequal, ca. 3 mm. Fruit yellow or red when young, yellow-brown or dark purple when mature, subglobose or broadly ovoid, 1.5-2 × 1.2-2 cm. Achenes ellipsoid, with 4 obtuse ribs; not or slightly coiled; each rib with 2 wings; wings subglobose, often smooth. Fl. and fr. Jun. 2n = 36*.

Mobile or semimobile sand dunes; 500-600 m. Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Russia (SE European part, W Siberia), Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia].