Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat, when present, membranous. Stems usually not branching but sometimes twisted, 1–2(–5) dm. Leaves: blade linear-attenuate; basal withering, 1–2 dm; blade channeled, glaucous. Inflorescences subumbellate, 1–6-flowered; bracts 2–4 cm, bases dilated. Flowers erect; perianth open, campanulate, each member often with brown-purple blotch near base; sepals ovate, 2–3 cm, apex acute; petals orange to red or ± yellow, cuneate to obovate, 3–5 cm, with a few slightly enlarged hairs near gland; glands round, depressed, surrounded by conspicuously fringed membrane, densely covered with unbranched or cleft hairs; filaments 4–5 mm; anthers purplish, lanceolate, 5–8 mm. Capsules erect, longitudinally striped, lanceoloid-linear, angled, 4–6 cm, apex acuminate. Seeds flat. 2n =16.

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora): sw United States, nw Mexico.