Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia south to California, east to Montana and Colorado.

Habitat: Well-drained soil, foothills to subalpine slopes; blooms soon after the snow leaves.

Flowers: February-June

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bees, hummingbirds

Delicate, scapose, glaucous perennial from a bundle of small, spindle-shaped, fleshy roots, to which the scape and leaves are separately attached below ground level.

Leaves 1-several, long-petioled, often as long as the scapes, the blades ternate, and again 1-2 lobed or divided, the ultimate segments oblanceolate, 1-4 mm. broad.

Scapes 4-8 cm. tall, with 2 small bractlets near the single flower; sepals 2, oblong, 4 mm. long; corolla white to pinkish, 4-lobed, cordate-based, the outer 2 petals slightly pouched, the upper half slender, widely spreading and slightly recurved; inner 2 petals erect, united, purplish-tipped, 12-15 mm. long, not crested; style 1, slender, 2-3 mm. long; stigma discoid.

Capsule ovoid-ellipsoid, 10-13 mm. long.