Also known as red or rose mountain heather, pink mountain heather is an attractive perennial shrublet with many branched, erect to decumbent stems from 10-30 cm high. The numerous stem leaves are oblong, spreading and 6-9 mm long with the margins rolled inwards toward the upper side, which effectively makes the leaves appear narrower than they are. The blades are shiny green above and glandular below. The leaves are persistent.
The inflorescence is a terminal corymb of 5-8 flowers which are nodding to spreading. The slender, erect petioles are 8-20 mm long and curve outwards at their apex. They are covered with glandular hairs. The calyx is dark red and lobed nearly to the base. The calyx lobes are broadly ovate with obtuse tips. The pink to deeply rose-colored corollas are broadly bell-shaped and 5-8 mm long with short, reflexed lobes at the tips. The 10 stamens are hidden within the corolla while the style is exserted from the mouth of the corolla (See photos.). The anthers are red while the ovary is covered with short, yellow and glandular hairs. This species may hybridize with P. glanduliflora when plants of both species are in close proximity to one another.
Pink mountain heather may be found in clearings near timberline and in alpine meadows in the mountains.
Pink mountain heather may be found from Alaska south through the higher mountains to California and east to Idaho and Montana.
It may be found in the Columbia River Gorge at scattered locations between the elevations of 3500'-4500' from Silver Star Mt. in the west eastwards to near the Wind River and Indian Springs in the east.
