Claytonia rosea, commonly called Rocky Mountain spring beauty,[3] western springbeauty[4] or Madrean springbeauty,[5] is a diminutive spring blooming ephemeral plant with pale pink to magenta flowers.

It grows a small round tuberous root and it one of the earliest wildflowers of spring in its range.

Each flower is 8–14 mm across with five pastel colored petals in a shade of pink, rose, or magenta.

[11] In the central part of its range in Colorado it blooms from March to May, rarely as late June.

[3] In Arizona they bloom as early as February in the lower parts of its habitat and as late at May at higher elevations.

[12] In a few warm microclimates in on rocky outcrops or south facing bare ground in the foothills near Denver they will sometimes bloom as early as the first of January and may do so in similar situations in other parts of their range.

[14][15] Dianne K. Halleck and Delbert Wiens published an article setting forth an argument in favor of its status as a species.

[4] NatureServe has assessed the global status of Claytonia rosea as G4 - apparently secure, an uncommon but not rare species.

[1] The first scientific observation of the Lasioglossum bee species L. perpunctatum was on flowers of Claytonia rosea near Boulder, Colorado by T.D.A.

Replanted corms will persist for a time even in less than ideal conditions, but will decline without reproducing if planted in areas subjected to either extreme drying during the summer or being flooded during rainstorms.

The wild foods author Harold D. Harrington found them to be crisp and starchy without much flavor when raw, but rather like earthy potatoes when boiled.