Not listed in the reclassification by Dr. J. Cullen.Considered by other authorities to be a natural hybrid of R. nivale ssp. boreale or synonymous with R. tapetiforme.Upright or mat-forming shrubs to 3 ft.Wide funnel-shaped flowers (May-June) are blue-purple and are valued because they appear later than most species in the Lapponica subsection.Grows on moorlands and among heaths at 12,000 to 16,000 ft.China (Yunnan, Sichuan, SE Tibet).