Silene orientalimongolica Kozhevn.

Herbs annual or biennial, 10--40 cm tall, densely pubescent throughout. Principal roots robust, lignified. Stems erect, solitary or multibranched at base. Basal leaves petiolate, distal leaves sessile; leaf blade oblanceolate or lanceolate, 2--5 cm × 2--5 mm, midvein raised abaxially, both surfaces densely pubescent, base attenuate into petiole or sessile, apex acute. Cymes terminal, conical; bracts lanceolate, herbaceous, ciliate, apex acuminate. Pedicels erect, unequal in length, 5--20 mm, pubescent. Calyx elliptic or ovoid-campanulate, 6--8 mm, ovoid in fruit, ca. 1 cm, glandular hairy; longitudinal veins 10, green, cohering at apex; calyx teeth triangular-lanceolate, margin membranous, ciliate. Androgynophore very short. Petals white or pale red; limbs obovate, shallowly bifid at apex; claws narrowly cuneate; coronal scales ligulate. Stamens included; filaments hairy at base. Styles 3, short, shortly hairy at base. Capsule ovoid, ca. 8 mm, shorter than calyx, 6-toothed. Seeds gray-brown, reniform, ca. 0.6 mm, tuberculate. Fl. Jun--Jul, fr. Jul--Aug.

* Steppes, sterile areas. Nei Mongol [?Russia].

Melandrium orientalimongolicum (Kozhevnikov) Y. Z. Zhao.