Aerial shoots 10-20(-25) cm. Basal leaves hispid to villous. Inflorescences (2-)3-flowered cymes or flowers solitary; peduncle hispid to villous; involucral bracts 1(-2)-tiered, hispid to villous. Flowers: sepals 5-7(-9), usually blue or purple, sometimes white, or abaxially yellow and red, blue, or tinged purple, and adaxially yellow, red, blue, or tinged purple, oblong to elliptic or ovate, 5-15 mm. Achenes: beak recurved. 2n=32.

Flowering spring-summer (Mar-Aug). Talus slopes, canyons; 2200-3700 m; Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wyo.