The flower buds have inflated pale green calyces and the sepals are extended backward into a short spur.

After flowering, which takes place in mid-summer, the shoots die back and the plant remains dormant until the following year.

[1] Tropaeolum polyphyllum is endemic to the central Andes in Chile and Argentina where it grows at heights of up to 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) above sea level.

Its typical habitat is among scantily vegetated stony ground or on scree where it forms small hummocks of grey-green foliage studded with yellow flowers.

[3] The plant has small, rounded tubers which are buried deep in the ground and which enable it to survive being covered with snow for several months and withstand temperatures down to −20 °C (−4 °F).