Glabrous, deciduous, perennial, clump-forming herb with erect annual stems, to c. 40 cm high. Lvs opposite, subsessile or with broad petioles to 1 cm long, distributed along stems (excluding very small overwintering bud rosettes at ground level), not or scarcely imbricate, to 9 × 7 cm and c. 1 mm thick, broadly elliptic or elliptic-ovate, flat, green or glaucescent, sinuate or distantly and broadly crenulate; apex rounded or obtuse. Infl. terminal, erect, 7-13 cm across, usually 8-12 cm high, corymbose-paniculate, bracteate, very flat, with few primary branches and many peduncles. Fls very numerous, with pedicels 2-5 mm long, not secund. Sepals equal, 2-3 mm long, triangular or triangular- lanceolate. Petals 5, ± incurved, 5.5-8.5 × 1.5-2 mm, lanceolate, pink, acute or subacute. Stamens 6-11 mm long; filaments pink; anthers deep crimson. Carpels and styles pink. Scales linear-spathulate to oblong or oblong-obovate. Follicles dark crimson, ± parallel. Seed c. 1 mm long, obovoid, with faint longitudinal ribs.