Basal leaf in above photo

Stem leaf in above photo

Grey-coloured,  perennial plants covered with silky hairs. Flowers are in a dense spike, violet in colour, spike measured to 3 cm long, elongating when in fruit. Flowers have no petals.  Basal leaves ovate to deltoid, blade measured at 6 cm long and 5.5 cm wide. Stem leaves without stalks, elliptical to rhomboid in shape. Basal leaves have toothed margins, stem leaves entire.

Very early flowering, we were lucky two find 2 plants still in flower on a shady hillside on May 23rd, we saw approximately 100 plants already finished flowering that day.

Habitat is rocky slopes and fescue prairie in the Cypress Hills.

Budd's Flora lists the height to 30 cm, we measured plants to 12 cm tall.

Very rare, this plant is listed as an S1 by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.

Photos taken May 23rd, rocky hillside, Cypress Hills, 450 km southwest of our home in Regina, SK.

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