Authors: Wendelbo.
Forming hard, very neat, grey-green cushions, up to 20cm diameter in cultivation, composed of numerous small leaf-rosettes; stems forming tightly packed columns, very woody below; farina around the flower buds and calyces only. Leaves very small, obovate to almost round, 1-1.5mm long, thick, untoothed, with few veins. Flowers solitary or up to 4 in an umbel, occasionally with an extra whorl above, the bracts small, similar to the leaves; corolla pale to deep violet, with a whitish central zone surrounding a darker throat; the tube 10-12mm long, the limb 8-9mm diameter, with rounded, notched or somewhat toothed lobes. North-western Afghanistan, Maymana Province, near Belcheragh in the Darrah Zang gorge and similar sites on sunny or semi-shaded, sloping or vertical, limestone rocks, 1200-1400m. One of the most desirable species, but extremely slow-growing and very difficult to propagate. Plants, on the other hand, are relatively trouble-free and plants up to 20 years of age are not unknown. In an average year less than 50% of rosettes flower so it is rare for a full canopy to be achieved. All plants in cultivation are pin-eyed and are derived from the original GW/H1302 collection. There are however numerous f1 and f2 hybrids in cultivation, partly due to it's habit meaning that the seed capsules are not hidden within the cushion.
a, D. aretioides; b, D. curviflora; c, D. involucrata; d, D. microphylla; e, D. tapetodes; f, D. viscidula;
