Perennial herb, 7-30 cm tall; caudex multiple-branched, borne on a cylindric to flattened taproot, usually with a dense cushion of old leaf bases present beneath the new growth; leaves primarily basal, undivided, elliptic to obovate-spatulate, narrowly obtuse to acute, 4-15 cm long and to 3 cm wide, glabrous; inflorescence 2-6 cm long at anthesis, later to 12 cm long, with numerous tiny flowers in clustered or paniculate cymes; flowers either perfect or pistillate; calyx 6-8 lobed, persistent, enlarging and developing short setae in fruit; corolla white, rotate, gibbous, pubescent basally without, 1.1-1.9 mm long for pistillate flowers, 3-3.8 mm long for perfect flowers; stamens exserted, usually 3; fruits indehiscent, single-seeded, narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 2-2.5 mm long, with evident adaxial ribs. Flowers April to July.