Plants solitary and in small groups of uneven-age specimens, bluish-green, smooth. Bulb of 7-12 mm in diameter, roundishly-oviform, covered by light brown, cleaving up, thickly-coriaceous tunics; plaited in young specimens rarely upwards by curved sclerified roots. Coarse-cellular vegetative bulbils are formed in juvenile stages in a group at the base, in immature stages capitate group of bulbils are produced on short peduncle near the surface of the soil, in generative specimens a single (basal) bulbil is formed. Peduncle 8-13 cm high, roundish in T.S., hollow, about 2 mm in diameter. Basal leaves 1-2-1 (in the first year during generative stage 2 leaves, and in juvenile and generative stages – 1 leaf is produced, linear, little bit exceeding the inflorescence, up to 3-4 mm in width, concavo-convex in T.S., with hollow centre. Leaves on a peduncle almost verticillate, lower leaf is frequently produced 0.5-1.5 cm below the whorl, widely lanceolate, scaphoid, 5-7 mm. broad, gradually pointed, inflorescences usually are shorter, umbrella-shaped, 3-6(8)-flowered, usually pedicels tomentose, extended during flowering up to 5-6 cm. Tepals 14-18(20) mm long, 2-3 mm broad, lanceolate, yellow, green outside. Anthers yellow, linear, dehiscence oviform. Сapsule three-rayed, widely obovate, with depression on top, sessile. Seeds terete.

Fl. Per.: May-Juny.

Syntypes: [described from the Alps], "Habitat in alpibus Delphin. Taillefer, Liotard, Villars; in alpibus Salisburgensibus et Carinthiacis Pasterze, Heiligenblut, Hoppe".

Distribution: Alpine highlands of N. Africa, Mediterranean, E. Europe, S. and Centr. Asia (Turkmenistan, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan), Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China.