Perennial of the Polemoniaceae family, native to the eastern United States, where it occupies rocky outcrops, sandy slopes, and open edges on dry and well-drained substrates. The name setacea, sometimes encountered in old botanical literature, is today placed in synonymy with the type species by World Flora Online.
Here it forms a dense and domed carpet, noticeably taller and more voluminous than in other forms of the species, visibly reaching 8 to 12 cm in height for a considerable width. The foliage is composed of linear, narrow, and pointed leaves, of medium green, longer and less rigid than in the most compact forms. The flowers, with five petals notched or very slightly, are a bright magenta pink to intense purplish pink, with a small dark red central eye; they are carried on slightly erect stems, giving the cushion a more airy and less flat appearance than in other cultivars.
In its natural habitat, flowering extends from April to June. In cultivation, it occurs from March-April.
It requires full sun and very well-drained soil, dry to moderately fresh. Pruning after flowering prolongs the compactness of the cushion.