It is a small plant, prostrate-ascending, 1–5 cm tall. The stems are single-flowered, with the basal leaves numerous. The leaves are deeply cleft into 3-5 lobes. The flowers are 5–6 mm in diameter, with five pale yellow petals, and five hairy sepals. After flowering, the stems stretch considerably, reaching far above the basal leaves. It grows in snowbeds, moss carpets and other moist localities.
