Perennial, 5-15 cm when flowering, up to 30 cm when fruiting, stem glabrous, simple, rarely branched, usually without leaves. Basal leaves bipinnate, 2-10 cm long with petiole, linear-obong, pinnules in 2-5 pairs, obovate, lowermost with 1-2 pairs of leaflets, leaflets 3-5 x 2-4 mm, coriaceous, shiny above, glabrous, obovate, cuneate, incised, lobes usually dentate, teeth rounded at apex. Flowers arranged in a simple terminal raceme, bracts narrowly linear. Pedicels 2-5 mm in flower, upto 10 mm in fruit, ultimately bent down wards, glabrous or papillate. Sepals 4, 2-3 x 1 mm, elliptical, glabrous or glandular. Stamens 8-10, filaments + 3 mm, filiform, purplish, anthers yellowish, indistinctly mucronate. Carpels 3-5, 2-3 x 1 mm, sessile or shortly stalked, curved downwards, with 6 lateral ribs, glabrous, style very short.

Fl. Per.: July.

Type: Described from Lapland.

B-7 Hazara: Kagan, Raji Bhoji, 23.7.99, Duthie s.n. (RAW), nr. P.W.D. Rest House, Kagan, Sultanul Abedin & M. Qaiser 8866 (KUH,RAW), Swat: Bishigram, 11000', R.R. Stewart & A. Rahman 24956 (RAW), Baltistan: B-9 Mir Panzil Pass, R.R. Stewart 1997 (RAW), Biafo glacier, H. Hartmann 566 (RAW), Thalle La, R.R. Stewart 20732 (RAW), B-8 Deosai, 30.7.1940, R.R. Stewart s.n. (RAW), Dal Sang Pa, 14500', E. Nasir & G.L. Webster 6193 & 6210 (RAW), Kashmir: Kishen Ganga vy., Gadsar, 12000', R.R. Stewart 18275 (RAW).

Distribution: Arctic-circumpolar in Europe, Asia and N. America, mountain-ranges of C. Europe and Siberia, Mongolia, Himalaya and N. Armenia.

The var. microphylum (Boyle) Hand. -Mazz. differs from the type variety in h aving the carpels with a larger stalk which may equal the carpel length. Very common in alpine meadows from 4000-5300 m.