Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat, when present, membranous. Stems usually not branching or twisted, 1-3 dm. Leaves: basal withering, 1-2 dm; blade linear. Inflorescences erect, subumbellate, 1-4-flowered; bracts unequal at base of inflorescence, 1-6 cm. Flowers erect; perianth open, campanulate; sepals with maroon blotch distal to gland, broadly lanceolate, 1-4 cm, apex acuminate; petals lemon yellow, with maroon blotch distal to gland, broadly obovate, cuneate, 3-3.5 cm, ± glabrous or with a few lemon-yellow hairs near gland; glands round, depressed, surrounded by conspicuously fringed membranes, densely covered with short, unbranched or distally branching hairs; filaments ca. equaling anthers; anthers yellowish cream, oblong, apex obtuse. Capsules erect, light tan to light brown, linear-lanceoloid, 3-angled, ca. 2.5-5 cm, apex acuminate. Seeds light yellow, flat. 2n = 32.

Flowering late spring--mid summer. Dry sandy--clayey places; 1200--2000 m; Ariz., N.Mex., Utah.