Annual-biennial, erect, 3-25 cm long, fasciculately branched herb. Stem glabrous, smooth, shiny, canaliculate, many, branched from the base or from the middle, in both cases fasciculate in habit. Basal leaves 0.4-2.25 x 0.2-0.75 cm, oblanceolate-obovate, obtuse, papillose, falling off at flowering. Cauline leaves 0.5-2.25 x 0.05-1.0 cm, linear, lanceolate-narrowly ovate or broadly lanceolate, acute, margin papillose. Inflorescence 1-3(-4) flowered cyme. Flowers borne on long peduncles, peduncles filiform, up to 5.0 cm long. Flowers arising from axils of two terminal opposite leaves, pentamerous, campanulate, 0.9-5.0 cm long. Calyx tube about 1/3 the length of the lobes, 0.1-0.9 cm long, lobes unequal, longer lobes 0.5-1.4 x 0.05-0.15 cm, linear, acute, entire with slightly papillate margin, wrinkled, smaller lobes: 0.3-1.2 x 0.05-0.1 cm, linear, acute, entire and also with slightly papillate margin, surface wrinkled. Corolla up to 5.0 cm long, tubes almost more than double the size of the lobes, blue-deep blue or purple, turning white upon maturity, lobes 0.2-1.4 x 0.075-0.5 cm, oblanceolate-broadly oblanceolate, entire, obtuse. Stamens exserted, versatile, filaments inserted below the middle of the corolla tube, anthers dorsifixed, lobes 2. Nectaries at base of corolla tube, two each alternating the lobes. Ovary stipitate, elliptic, style sessile, stigma club shaped. Fruit an exserted, stipitate capsule with numerous small, brown coloured, reticulate, oval-round seeds.

Fl. Per.: August-September.

Syntypes: Kumaon, alt. 10-12000 ft., Madden, Davidson (K!), Tibet, alt., 15000 ft., (Piti?), Strachey & Winterbottom (K!, BM!).

B-8 Kashmir: Muzafferabad, Ganga Choti, ± 9000 ft., 23.10.1963, Jan Mohammed 96 (RAW), id., 17.9.1952, Rashid Khan s.n. (RAW), Shisha Mali, ± 12000 ft., 26.9.1979, Jan Mohammed 4260 (BM), Sonamarg, ± 10000 ft., Sept. 1931, R.R. Stewart 12922 (NY), Gurais valley , 8000 ft., 27.9.1893, Duthie 14098 (O), near Gurais, 8-9000 ft., 27.8.1892, Duhtie s.n. (O), Shishnag, upper Lidder valley, ± 12000 ft., 31.8.1925, R.R. Stewart 8391 (NA), B-9 Dras, Ladak Road, 10000 ft., 29.8.1940, Stewart 21164 (NA), Locality ignot, J. L. Stewart s.n. (E), id., ibid, s.n. (E), Ladakh, 10-12000 ped., Thomson s.n. (O), Lama Guru, 15000 ft., R.R. Stockley 156 (K).

Distribution: Pakistan, Kashmir, India (Lahul, U.P.), Nepal.

Aloitis maddeni (Clarke) Omer et al. is a Sino-Japanese element, which may extend into Irano-Turanian region.

An annual-biennial herb of open grass lands. Sometimes also encountered in dense grass lands at an elevation of 8-14000 ft.

Clarke (1883) described this taxon as the variety of Gentiana moorcroftiana Wall. ex G.Don [Aloitis moorcroftiana (Wall. ex G. Don) Omer et al.]. Later Airy Shaw treated it under Gentianella Moench as a distinct species.