It is native to Arctic and alpine regions of North America and Eurasia, including Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland, and it occurs in cold, wet, boggy habitats in high mountains farther south.

Most of the leaves form a basal rosette, their compound blades are one to two pinnate and divided into small, triangular-ovate, scalloped leaflets.

Each leaflet is longer than it is broad, slightly recurved, shiny dark green above and pale bluish-green below.

Each flower has a bell-shaped calyx of green or purplish sepals bearing up to fifteen long purple stamens tipped with large yellow anthers.

Its natural habitat is tundra, open birch woodland, the banks of streams and rivers, the shores of lakes, alpine meadows and boggy areas.