It is a perennial herb growing erect to a maximum height near 2–9 centimetres (3⁄4–3+1⁄2 in).

The showy inflorescence bears tubular flowers with expanded mouths 26–38 mm (1–1+1⁄2 in) long.

The flowers are light to deep blue, lavender, and purple, and usually have white throats.

The white, generally hairless, throat helps to distinguish it from similar species within its range.

[1][2] Native to the western United States, it is most common east of the crest of the Cascade Range of Washington and Oregon; southern Idaho; mountainous California from the Klamath Ranges along the High Sierra Nevada to the Western Transverse Ranges, San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains; and scattered through the mountains of northern Nevada.