Plants perennial, cespitose, frequently forming dense mats or tufted, glandular-pubescent or glabrous. Stems ascending or decumbent, few-branched, not filiform, densely glandular-pubescent, or less frequently glabrous; horizontal stems becoming slightly woody with extensive mat formation. Leaves: axillary fascicles absent; basal forming tufts, blade linear, curled inward, 3–12 mm, not fleshy, apex long-aristate, aristae equaling or exceeding leaf width, densely glandular-pubescent, or with glandular hairs restricted to margins, and then often minutely glandular-ciliate, rarely glabrous; cauline connate basally, forming conspicuous cup, blade linear-subulate, 3–10 mm, scarious. Pedicels filiform, densely to weakly glandular-pubescent. Flowers axillary or terminal, usually solitary, 5-merous, rarely 4- and 5-merous; calyx bases glandular-pubescent; sepals elliptic, 1.5–2 mm, hyaline margins white, apex obtuse to rounded, glandular-pubescent, remaining appressed following capsule dehiscence; petals elliptic, 1.5–2 mm, shorter than or equaling sepals; stamens (8 or) 10. Capsules 2–3(–3.5) mm, slightly longer than sepals, dehiscing to base. Seeds brown, obliquely triangular with abaxial groove, 0.4(–0.5) mm, smooth.