Description: Perennial with several rhizomes from a taproot. Stems
1 - many, 5 - 12 cm (2 - 4.7 in.) tall, with swollen nodes, sparsely to
moderately pubescent. Basal leaves narrowly oblanceolate; upper leaves opposite along the stem, almost linear, to 2.5 cm (1 in.) long. Inflorescence with a single flower head. Flower sepals 5, fused, somewhat inflated, with 10 green nerves, 1.2 - 1.5 cm (0.5 - 0.6 in.) long; petals 5, fused, pink to rose-purple, the upper petal blades expanded and bilobed. Fruit a many-seeded capsule. Time of flowering: July.
Habitat: Alpine and bristlecone pine communities. Known to occur on fellfields, steep eastern drop-offs on high ridgelines, and on limestone rocks. Elevations: 3,400 - 3,500 m (11,400 - 11,500 ft).
Range: Endemic to the Spring Mountains at high elevations. Known from several locations east of the Charleston Peak ridgeline and from Mummy Mountain.
Comments: Easy to distinguish when flowering with the pink to rose-purple flower petals, and solitary flowering heads.