Himalayan Pincushion Plant is a small shrublet growing only up to 5 cm tall. Tiny leathery leaves are crowded on stems. Leaf blade is obovate, spoon-shaped, or lance-shaped, 2–5 mm long, 1–2.5 mm wide. The low-growing mat-like spread of the crowded leaves looks like a pincushion. Flowers are nearly stalkless, much larger than the leaves. Sepals are 5, free, purplish red, ovate at flowering. Flowers are pinkish red to rose-purple, occasionally white or yellow. Flower tube is bell-shaped, 4–8 mm, about twice as long as the sepals. Petals are inverted-egg shaped, broad at the end, and narrow at the base, spreading to 1 cm. Stamens are stalkless and can be seen sitting in the throat of the flowers. Capsule is pinkish red, broadly ellipsoid, about 8 × 3–4 mm. Flowering: May–June.