It is native to Aleutian Islands and western North America and has been introduced into parts of Europe and Scandinavia.

The numerous fleshy stems form a rosette and the leaves are linear, lanceolate, or deltate.

[7] An example of the variation found in Claytonia sibirica is the subspecies known as the Stewarton flower, so named due to its local abundance in that part of North Ayrshire, Scotland, and recorded as such by the Kilmarnock Glenfield Ramblers.

[4] As the plant is very adept at reproducing by asexual plantlets, this has maintained the white varieties gene pool around Stewarton.

The pink variety has not been able to predominate in Stewarton, and only occurs occasionally, unlike most other localities in Scotland.