Montana Field Guide

Perennial from a usually simple or weakly branched caudex. Stems 10–25 cm, terminal. Basal leaves oblanceolate, 7–20 mm long with entire margins. Stem leaves narrowly lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, auriculate. Vestiture of sparse to moderately dense, mostly stalked, branched hairs on basal leaves, becoming glabrous above. Petals purple, 4–6 mm long. Fruits ascending, 2–4 cm long, ca. 2 mm wide; seeds wing-margined, in ca. 1 row per locule (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Gravelly soil of alpine slopes (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).