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Botanical Description

Stems 10-40cm tall from a branched, woody base. Herbage finely and densely cinereous-puberulent. Leaves entire and linear, seldom over 3mm wide. Inflorescence approaching a simple raceme. Flowers blue-purple or lavender to bright rose-purple, 1.4-2.2cm long. Dry open steppe, mostly rocky and often on scab rock. Frequently among sagebrush or soil too thin for sagebrush. Valleys and plains to moderate elevations in the mountains. A particularly beautiful and challenging taxon. P.g. var. hians is not now distinguished from P. gairdneri. A plant with bright rose purple flowers having large, spreading lobes. P.g. var. oreganus has opposite leaves 2-7cm long. Washington and Oregon. P.g. var. gairdneri has leaves l-4cm long alternate or scattered on stems. 10-30cm tall. Washington, Oregon and Idaho at 1000-1600m.