Lance-leaved stonecrop is a short, succulent, perennial herb with thick, alternate leaves on sterile stems and thinner, alternate leaves on flowering stems. The leaves on the flowering stems typically dry up and fall by the time the flowers open leaving the flowering stems leafless. The stems and leaves are often tinged with red. The flowers are bright yellow and the carpels are upright, rather than spreading, in fruit. Lance-leaved stonecrop is common on cliffs and dry rocky sites from low to subalpine elevations.