Hairless leaves grow only at the base; 1 to several stems, each topped by one flower; 2 broad, light green, sepal-like bracts. Leaves wither during or immediately after the flowering phase.
Perennial with short thick taproot and woody base; basal rosette of thick, fleshy, blunt-tipped narrow leaves; flowers sit atop leaf rosette; white, pink, pinkish-purple petals; bracts resemble sepals.
Habitat
Meadows, mesas, forested and montane habitats; among oaks junipers and pines.
Flower Characteristics
Solitary on leafless stem; leaf-like lower bracts; membrane-like upper bracts; flowers 2 inches in diameter; 2 sepals 1/8 to 1/4 inch long; 5 oblong, leaf-like petals 1/2 inch long; 9 to 15 stamens, with white filaments and yellow anthers.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Numerous, basal leaves in spreading rosette; oblong to 3 inches; hairless, fleshy; margins smooth; sharp pointed to blunt tip; blades stemless or tapering to a broad stalk.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
1/4 to 1/2 inch long; splitting or opening along the circumference, with the top coming off like a lid (circumscissile).
Numerous, 1/16 inch long, black, shiny.