Description: Perennial herb atop a stout taproot. Leaves basal, wedge-shaped with 3 - 5 apical lobes, 2.5 - 7.5 cm (1 - 2.9 in.) long, covered with long spreading hairs.
Inflorescence with a solitary flower head; flowering stems several, to 35 cm (14 in.) in height. Flower petals 6, white, to 4 cm (1.6 in.) long. Fruit a capsule, to 3.5 cm (1.4 in.) long, opening by valves that appear lattice-like. Time of flowering: April to June.
Habitat: Found in salt desert scrub and Mojave desert scrub habitats. Populations are scattered, often growing in limestone and dolomite soils. Found on ridges, rocky slopes, gravelly canyon washes, and on old lakebeds derived from carbonate rock. Elevations: 610 - 1,890 m (2,000 - 6,200 ft).
Range: Mojave Desert endemic. In Nevada this species occurs in Clark County, extreme southwest corner of Lincoln County, and southern tip of Nye County. Also in Inyo County, California.
Comments: This species can be distinguished from Las Vegas bearpoppy by a single white flower on each stalk, and by the longer (3.5 cm) capsule.