This genus contains about 70 species of herbaceous perennials which are found in bogs and damp meadows in temperate regions in the Northern hemisphere, the majority of them in China. They produce basal rosettes of dark green leaves and are grown for their large, solitary, saucer-shaped flowers, which are generally white or pale yellow. They grow well in wet soil in a rock garden or a bog garden.

Parnassia gansuensis is one of the species in which the flowers have very distinctive fringes, and it is really striking when in flower.