Tall slender plants growing from underground bulbs produce tulip-like flowers and grass-like leaves that wither at the base; 1 to 3 flowers.
Plants usually bulbous; basal leaves withered at flowering; stems erect usually not branched; white to purple petals, arched purple bands above purple blotches, densely bearded glands on narrower petal bases; capsules narrow; anthers not arrow-shaped.
Habitat
Foothills, montane, subalpine, high meadows.
Flower Characteristics
Tulip-like flower with 3 petals and 3 sepals. Petals have yellowish glands, a purple blotch and a purple band across them. The gland areas are densely bearded often with branched, enlarged hairs. Petals greenish on undersides and narrow at their bases.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves: basal withering at flowering. Narrow flat or rolled-inward mostly short, grass-like leaves, 1/16 inch wide or less; slender stems, generally not branched, about 8 to 10 inches tall.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
3 angled capsules with 3 compartments.
Flat.