A translation of Cockayne's description is: Biennial (?) herb c. 15 cm. tall. Stem slender, simple, terete, strict, purplish, 2-striate. Radical lvs rosulate, few, spathulate, ± 2 cm. long, obtuse; cauline lvs in remote opp. pairs, sessile, connate at base, narrowly triangular, ± 1*5 cm. long, acute, margin us. brownish-purple. Fls 3-5, c. 15 mm. diam., in umbels or terminal and solitary; calyx ± 8 mm. long, cut 1/2-? way into 4 subulate, acuminate lobes; corolla 21/2 times as long as calyx, white, deeply cut into obovate, obtuse, very shortly mucronate lobes.

n = 18

2n = 36

n = 18

2n = 36

Plants polycarpic, height in flower (80–)120–180(–300) mm. Caudex unbranched or branched, 10–35(–100) mm long, shaggy with dead leaf bases. Root 2.0–6.7 mm diam. at stem base. Flowering stems lateral only, or terminal on rosette-bearing branches, (1–)2–7(–13) per plant, largest flowering stem 1.9–3.0 mm diam. at base, 1.0–2.0 mm diam. when dry, stem colour green or tinted crimson or purple-black, lateral flowering stems erect or decumbent, flowering stem leaves 1–5 pairs per stem, lowest pedicels from near apex of flowering stem. Rosette of leaves present and distinct from flowering stem leaves, leaves linear to narrowly elliptic, (32–)45–112(–160) mm long, (3.5–) 4.0–13(–15) mm wide, green or tinted crimson or purple-black below and on petiole and veins, sometimes leaf surface speckled purple-black, V-shaped or channelled, recurved or not, apex acute, petiole absent to distinct, 15–40 mm long, (1.1–)1.5–3.7 (–4.0) mm wide at leaf base. Flowering stem leaves narrowly elliptic, sessile. Flowers 1–20(–130) per plant, 15–21 mm long. Pedicels 1 or 2 per leaf axil, 12–26 mm long, 0.8–1.4 mm diam., 0.5–1.0 mm diam. when dry. Calyx (7.4–)7.9–13.8 mm long, green or green tinted purple-black, hairs at calyx–corolla fusion line absent or present; lobes 4.6–9.7 mm long, (2.0–)2.1–2.6(–3.0) mm wide at base, plane, apices acute, margins smooth to denticulate, sinus hairs sparse, rarely abundant. Corolla 14.1–19.5 mm long, white, veins uncoloured; tube 4.3–6.2 mm long; lobes 9.6–13 mm long, 5.6–9.5 mm wide, hairs below sinus present; nectary (0.3–)0.5–1.9(–2.2) mm from corolla base. Filaments 7.0–9.8(–11.2) mm long from corolla base, (0.65–)0.8–1.1(–1.4) mm wide. Anthers (1.8–)2.0–3.0(–3.2) mm long, anther wall blue-black, mouth yellow, extrorse at anthesis. Stigma colourless. Ovules (15–)22–57(–64) per ovary. Capsule 13–22 mm long. FL Feb–Apr.