Plants bulbose; bulb coat membranous. Stems not branching, 2-6 dm. Leaves: basal withering, 1-1.5 dm; blade linear. Inflorescences subumbellate, 1-5-flowered; bracts paired. Flowers erect; perianth open, campanulate; sepals lanceolate-ovate, 1-2 cm; petals white to smoky blue, often tinged pink, with red to black blotch distal to gland, cuneate to obovate, 1-4 cm, with a few short hairs near gland, apex rounded; glands ± ovate, slightly depressed, with dense, short hairs; filaments 5 mm; anthers linear-oblong, 5-7 mm, base sagittate. Capsules erect, lanceoloid-linear, 3-6 cm. Seeds light beige, flat, inflated. 2n = 14, 28.

Flowering late spring--late summer. Open gravelly places, montane coniferous forests, open chaparral; 1300--4000 m; Calif., Nev., Oreg.