[1] It is a plant of high elevations, growing in exposed, rocky mountain slope habitat such as talus and alpine fellfields.

This is a perennial herb producing a small clump of a few erect stems reaching 20 centimeters in maximum height.

Leaves clustered around the base of the stems are cylindrical bunches of many small, glandular leaflets.

The inflorescence is a headlike cluster of several flowers atop the short, stout stem.

Each flower has a tubular calyx of densely hairy sepals and a five-lobed corolla in shades of pale blue with a whitish or yellowish throat.