General: Perennial herb from a scaly rootstalk, with stolons; stems erect, finely hairy, 2-10 cm tall.
Leaves: Basal leaves evergreen, heart- to kidney-shaped, sometimes lanceolate, the blades 2-5 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, toothed, mottled with reddish-brown spots, the stalks 2-10 cm long; stem leaves few, similar, reduced; stipules brownish, membranous, lanceolate, entire or slender-toothed.
Flowers: Inflorescence of single, axillary flowers; petals 5, yellow, the lower petal 5-15 mm long including the 1- to 2-mm long, pouched spur, the lower 3 purplish-pencilled, the lateral pair yellow-bearded; sepals 5, lanceolate; style heads short-bearded.
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range. (Updated August, 2013)
A shade- tolerant/intolerant, submontane to montane, Western North American forb distributed more in the Pacific than the Cordilleran region. Occurs in maritime to submaritime cool mesothermal climates on moderately dry to fresh, nitrogen-medium soils; its occurrence decreases with increasing latitude and continentality. Common in mossy understories on water-shedding sites; occasionally persist on cutover areas.
