Plants 0.3-0.8 × 1-2 dm. Leaves: petiole 0.1-0.4 cm, base distinct, glabrous abaxially; blade elliptic, 0.5-1.5 × 0.2-0.45(-0.6) cm, margins often crenulate. Scapes 0.2-0.7(-1) dm. Flowers (2-)2.5-3 mm. Achenes 3.5-4 mm.

Flowering Jul-Sep. Clayey slopes, high-elevation sagebrush communities, subalpine conifer woodlands; 2900-3400 m; Utah.

Variety alpestre is the high-elevation expression of the species and is only marginally distinct. It is restricted essentially to the Cedar Breaks National Monument area of Iron County, where it is scattered but fairly common along the rim of the breaks. It is this component of the species that is now in cultivation.