Lewisia cotyledon

Taproots gradually ramified distally. Stems ascending to suberect, 10-12(-30) cm. Leaves: basal leaves evergreen, sessile or abruptly or gradually narrowed to broad petiole, blade oblanceolate, obovate, spatulate, or rarely ± linear or ± orbiculate, ± flattened, 3-14 cm, margins entire, crisped, or toothed, apex truncate, emarginate, retuse, or rounded; cauline leaves alternate, intergrading with bracts, blade oblong to ovate, 5-10 mm, margins glandular-toothed, apex acute to occasionally obtuse. Inflorescences dense, paniculate to subumbellate cymes, 10-50-flowered; bracts alternate or opposite proximally, 2 at each flowering node distally, obovate to lanceolate, 2-4 mm, margins glandular-toothed, apex acute. Flowers pedicellate, not disarticulate in fruit; sepals 2, suborbiculate to broadly ovate, 4-6 mm, herbaceous at anthesis, margins glandular-toothed, apex obtuse to truncate; petals 7-10, usually pink-purple with pale and darker stripes, less often white, cream with pink-orange stripes, ± orange, or yellow, oblanceolate, obovate, or spatulate, (8-)12-20 mm; stamens 5-12; stigmas 2-4; pedicel 2-5 mm. Capsules 3-5 mm. Seeds 4-15, 1.5 mm, shiny, smooth.

The varieties occasionally co-occur. Natural hybrids with Lewisia leeana are known (see discussion under 8. L. leeana).