Gypsophila capituliflora Rupr.

Herbs perennial, to 25 cm tall. Roots thick, woody. Stems several, caespitose, usually simple, glabrous. Leaves linear, subtrigonous, 1--3 cm × ca. 1 mm, subfleshy, glabrous, apex acute; basal leaves caespitose. Cymes terminal, in subcapitate clusters 1--2 cm in diam.; bracts lanceolate, margin membranous, ciliate, apex acuminate. Pedicel ca. 1 mm. Calyx purple 5-veined, campanulate, 3.5--5 mm, lobed for 1/3--1/2 its length; lobes triangular, margin membranous, ciliate, apex acute. Petals light red-purple or white, narrowly obovate, 6--7 × ca. 1.5 mm, base cuneate, apex retuse. Stamens equaling petals. Ovary ca. 2 mm. Styles short. Capsule suboblong, subequaling calyx. Seeds purple-black, globose, 1.5--2 mm, minutely flat tuberculate. Fl. Jul--Sep, fr. Aug--Sep.

Gansu, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang [Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, W Mongolia].

Dry mountain slopes; 800--2600 m.

Gypsophila dshungarica Czerniakowska.