A spiny shrub up to 180 cm tall. Shoots greyish to white, glabrous. Leaves 6-25 x 1-1.5 mm, linear to aciculate or spathulate, fasciculate, cylindrical, obtuse; spines up to 10 mm long. Flowers axillary solitary or paired. Pedicel 3-4 mm long, up to 7 mm in fruit, slender. Calyx 2.5-3.5 mm long, campanulate to broad tubular, shallow. Lobes c. 1 mm long, obtuse or acute, often minutely ciliolate. Corolla infundibuliform, tube 5-7 mm long; lobes c. 1/3 the tube size, obtuse, throat pubescent. Stamens exserted to subexserted; filaments slender, base pubescent. Berry globose, 5-8 mm broad, black. Seeds reniform, c. 2 mm long, brown.

Fl. Per.: June-August.

Type: Described from cultivated material of unknown origin (Holo.Goet? iso. BM).

Distribution: S. E. Russia, Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan (Baltistan and Baluchistan), Mongolia and Tibet.

The species can readily be distinguished by the narrow leaves, whitish stems and black berries. A spiny shrub of dry areas from 1500-2600 m.