Frasera fastigiata and F. umpquaensis are large, long-lived, perennial herbs with hollow stems, whorled leaves, large nectaries hidden by fringed hoods, and synchronized flowering. They differ in flower color and their ranges are disjunct. Some authors have treated them as conspecific due to their overall morphological similarity. The taxa can be distinguished by isozyme band patterns and by morphological traits including corolla color, relative lengths of corolla and calyx, and calyx lobe shape. Both isozyme differences and morphological differences are not completely fixed, but plants with one atypical feature can be identified by their combination of traits. The taxa should be recognized as distinct species.