This wildflower is native to western North America, where it can be found in the Great Basin and the Sierra Nevada.

D. andersonii is an erect perennial usually reaching about half a meter in height.

The top of the slender stem is occupied by a cylindrical inflorescence of flowers, each flower two to four centimeters wide with a spur measuring nearly two centimeters in length.

Some individuals have sepals and petals of very light purple or blue to almost white.

It was named after Charles Lewis Anderson by Asa Gray.