Primary root short-lived. Stem short, unbranched, clothed with cop. long fine hairs, adventitious roots ∞ from amongst old lf-bases. Lvs rosulate, firm-textured, us. forming a close flat mat; lamina up to 20 × 7 mm., about rhomboid, tapering to short broad petiole, tip obtuse, margin entire or with inconspicuous teeth; hairs long and crowded, covering whole upper surface of young lf but wearing from unprotected tip with age, undersurface glab. or with scattered hairs; veins not evident except midrib. Scape very short to exceeding lvs, covered with close crisped hairs. Spike (1)-2-4-(6)-fld. Bracts < 2 mm. long, broad at base, narrowed above, tip subacute, glab. but including tuft of hairs, keel raised but ill-defined; sepals 2-3 mm. long, oblong, obtuse to subacute, glab., keel narrow and distinct, almost excurrent. Corolla-tube short, lobes narrow, acute, 1·5 × 0·5 mm.; anthers up to 1 mm. long; ovules up to 12; capsule up to 3 mm. long, the transverse split much below sepal-tips; seeds squarish, angular.

2n = 24

2n = 12

2n = 24

2n = 24

2n = 12

Primary root short-lived; adventitious roots numerous from amongst old lf bases. Stem short, simple, clothed with copious long fine hairs. Lvs radical, rosulate and usually forming a close flat mat; petiole short, broad. Lamina 5-50 × 3-20 mm, narrowly to broadly elliptic or somewhat rhombic, subcoriaceous, with scattered to dense, long, curled septate hairs or nearly glabrous, especially beneath; lateral veins 2, usually inconspicuous; margin entire or with inconspicuous teeth, mostly ciliate; base attenuate; apex broad and ± obtuse. Scape c. 0.5-8-(17) cm long, sparsely to densely pilose. Spike 1-8-(20)-flowered, to c. 1-(2.5) cm long. Bracts 1.5-2.5-(5) mm long, ovate, glabrous or nearly so; keel raised, rather wide, herbaceous, otherwise bract membranous. Sepals 2-3.5 mm long, elliptic-oblong or ovate-oblong, glabrous; keel distinct. Corolla tube short; lobes 1.2-1.8 × 0.4-0.8 mm, narrow-ovate or ovate. Capsule 2-3 mm long, ± suborbicular to broad-ellipsoid. Seeds 4- c. 14, 1-2 mm long, rather irregular in shape.