Rhizomes with spherical or elongate tuberous thickenings 0.5-2.5 cm.  Stems 4-angled, 12-45(-60) cm, glabrous or stipitate-glandular throughout or at least in inflorescence, often densely so. Leaf blades linear to linear-lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, (1.5-)2-10(-15) × 0.2-1.5(-2) cm, margins flat to briefly revolute, ± smooth or granular to serrulate, glabrous or stipitate-glandular. Inflorescences open cymes, flowers often proliferating with age. Pedicels recurved to reflexed from base in fruit, uniformly stipitate-glandular. Flowers: sepals lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 3-5.5(-7) × 0.8-2 mm, stipitate-glandular, often densely so; petals 7-9.5 × 3-4 mm, apex notch 1-2 mm deep, lobes broadly rounded; anthers 10, purple; styles 3.5-4.5 mm; stigmas terminal, 0.1-0.2 mm. Capsules 4.5-5 mm. Seeds 1-3, reddish brown, broadly elliptic, ± plump, 2-3.4 mm; tubercles conic to elongate, rounded. 2n = 96. Flowering summer. Meadows, sagebrush-grasslands, dry understory of aspen and coniferous forests; 600-3400 m.; Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.Mex., Oreg., Tex., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Plant: Plant 12-45 cm, glandular-hairy, especially below; stem simple to much-branched, ascending to erect, 4-angled Leaves: simple, opposite, blade ± lanceolate, entire, 15-100 mm, ± smaller above, thick; margin ± smooth to roughened; vein 1 INFLORESCENCE: cyme, terminal or axillary; flowers few-many; bracts leafy; pedicels ± straight, ascending to spreading Flowers: often cleistogamous in lower leaf axils; hypanthium short, obscure; sepals 5, ± free, 3-6 mm, lanceolate to oblong-ovate, glandular-hairy; petals 5, 6-12 mm, shallowly 2-lobed; stamens arising from a narrow disk; styles generally 3, 4-4.5 mm Fruit: Fruit: capsule, spheric; valves recurved to rolled under; seed 1-2, reddish brown, 2-3.4 mm; tubercles ± prominent, elongate Misc: Meadows, dry understory of coniferous forest; 1400-2700 m.