Plants strongly mat-forming, glaucous, often with woody base. Stems erect, 7-25(-30) cm, densely stipitate-glandular distally. Leaves: basal leaves persistent; cauline leaves in 1-3 pairs, abruptly reduced distal to lowest pair; basal blades ascending or often arcuate-spreading, needlelike, (0.5-)1-2.5(-3.5) cm × 0.5-1.5 mm, rigid, herbaceous, apex spinose, glabrous to puberulent, glaucous. Inflorescences 5-25+-flowered, open cymes. Pedicels 3-25 mm, stipitate-glandular. Flowers: sepals 1-3-veined, lateral veins less developed or all obscure, ovate, 3-4.5 mm, to 6 mm in fruit, margins broad, apex usually obtuse to rounded, abruptly acute, sparsely to densely stipitate-glandular; petals white, obovate to oblanceolate, 4.5-10 mm, 1.5-3 times as long as sepals, apex rounded; nectaries as lateral and abaxial rounding, with slight lateral expansion, at base of filaments opposite sepals, 0.3 mm. Capsules 5-9 mm, glabrous. Seeds yellowish tan to gray, ellipsoid-oblong, 1.8-2.5(-3.2) mm, tuberculate; tubercles rounded, elongate. 2n = 22.
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