A low, prostrate, self-rooting shrub a few inches high, often tufted; stems very slender, almost threadlike, two-edged, glabrous. Leaves 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 in. long, oval-oblong, apex blunt, usually crowded 1⁄8 to 1⁄3 in. apart on the stem. Flowers terminal, solitary, golden yellow, 13⁄4 in. across; petals obovate; sepals about 1⁄2 in. long, oval, blunt; capsule globose, 1⁄2 in. wide.
Native of the Himalaya at from 9,000 to 11,000 ft.; in cultivation 1881. It is not completely hardy but should survive most winters if grown in a sheltered position in the rock garden, in a well-drained soil.