Stems 8–30 cm, clustered on the caudex. Leaves mainly basal 3–14 cm long; blades deeply pinnately lobed into narrowly oblong, serrate segments 2–10 cm long. Inflorescence sparsely flowered, 2–20 cm long; bracts lanceolate with 1 or 2 pairs of linear lobes. Flowers: calyx 6–10 mm long, 5-lobed, the lobes 1–3 mm long, the one closest to the galea shorter; corolla white to reddish-purple, 10–16 mm long; galea 5–8 mm long with a long, beak curved into a semicircle; lower lip wide, the 2 outer lobes much wider than the central one. Capsule 6–10 mm long
(Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Our plants are variety
contorta, variety
ctenophora (Rydb.) A.Nelson & J.F.Macbr., and variety
rubicunda Reese