Euphorbia alpina Ledeb.

Herbs, perennial, erect or slightly spreading, (10-)15- 20(-35) cm tall. Rootstock vertical or oblique, ca. 10 cm × 4-5(-15) mm thick, apex many branched. Stems ca. 3 mm thick, upper parts sometimes branched, usually pubescent. Leaves alternate; stipules absent; petiole absent; leaf blade elliptic, 1-2(-3.5) × 0.8-1.2 cm, both surfaces glabrous, base rounded or subtruncate below, usually cordate at middle of stem, margin entire [or finely serrulate], apex rounded; lateral veins inconspicuous. Inflorescence a terminal compound pseudumbel, with lateral pseudumbels from upper axils; primary involucral leaves 2-4, similar to normal leaves, to 2 × 1.5 cm, primary rays 2-4, ca. 1.5 cm; cyathophylls 2, ovate-obtriangular, 6-8 × 4-6 mm, base attenuate, margin usually finely crenate, rarely entire, apex obtuse. Cyathium sessile; involucre cuplike, ca. 3 × 3 mm, lobes orbicular, apex obtuse, ciliate; glands 4, yellow-brown, transversely reniform to oblong, entire. Male flowers many, exserted from involucre. Female flower: ovary exserted from cup, sparsely aculeate; styles connate for 1/3-1/2, caducous; style arms 2-lobed. Capsule trigonous-globose, 4-5 × ca. 4 mm, sparsely softly spiny, processes to 1 mm, glabrous. Seeds compressed ellipsoid, 2-3 × ca. 1.5 mm, brown; caruncle obtusely conical, peltate, yellow-brown, very shortly stipitate. Fl. and fr. May-Jun.

Grasslands in mountains. Xinjiang (Altay Shan) [Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia (Siberia)].