Perennial of the Caryophyllaceae family, native to the mountains of Iran and the Caucasus, where it grows in rocky scree and crevices of limestone cliffs between 2,000 and 4,000 meters in altitude.
It forms an extremely dense and compact hemispherical cushion, dark green, reaching 30 to 40 cm in diameter for only 5 to 8 cm in height. The leaves are tiny, imbricated, spatulate, tightly packed against each other to the point of giving the cushion's surface an almost granular texture, reminiscent from afar of a colony of moss or lichen.
The flowers, very small, cream white to slightly yellowish, are almost sessile and buried in the foliage; they barely exceed the surface of the cushion. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from June to August depending on the altitude.
What strikes above all is the density and geometric perfection of the cushion, sculpted by the extreme conditions of its habitat. Growth is slow and the habit very architectural, making it a choice piece for alpine plant collectors.
In cultivation, it requires a very well-drained, mineral, poor soil, in full sun, and dreads stagnant winter humidity. It is ideally cultivated in moraine, alpine trough, or cold greenhouse.