The plant is native to the Great Basin and adjacent regions in the Western United States, from eastern California and Oregon to Montana and Utah. It generally grows in dry, Sagebrush steppe habitats.

Calochortus bruneaunis is a perennial herb producing a mostly unbranching stem up to 40 centimeters tall. The leaf at the base of the stem is narrow in shape, reaching 10 to 20 centimeters long and withering away at flowering.

The inflorescence bears 1 to 4 erect bell-shaped flowers. The pointed sepals and larger, rounded petals are white to lilac-tinted in base color. The sepals are marked with a reddish or greenish spot or streak toward their bases and the petals have a greenish streak on the outer surface and a base of yellow, purple, and red coloration on the inner surface.

The fruit is a narrow, angled capsule up to 7 centimeters long. It contains several flat, yellow seeds.

• Jepson Manual Treatment of Calochortus bruneaunis
• USDA Plants Profile for Calochortus bruneaunis
• Flora of North America
• UC Photos gallery — Calochortus bruneaunis