Hairy annual growing in a low basal rosette on the ground, sometimes producing an erect stem from the basal rosette; leaves sometimes have reddish tint; flowers borne singly at the end of short stalks, may point upwards or nod down; withers to red.
Rough hairy annual growing close to ground; erect flower stems from the basal rosette; grayish-green leaves, lance-shaped; nodding seedhead; yellow flowers with small red markings near the bases; fruit capsule straight to tightly coiled.
Habitat
Desert plains, hillsides, creosote scrub lands, native to desert and scrub habitat of the region where Arizona, California, and Nevada meet.
Flower Characteristics
Opens at dawn, borne singly at the end of short stalks; 4 pointed green sepals protrude beyond the edges of 4 overlying oval petals; 1/4 to 1/2 inch long; tips are flat or shallowly notched; small red markings near the bases; stigma spheric.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Basal rosette of narrow, lance-shaped leaves covered with stiff, straight hairs, lying flat against the ground, up to 2 inches long, with smooth or finely toothed edges.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Straight to tightly coiled, 4-angled at least when dry, not swollen by seeds, without stems.
1 row of seeds per chamber, narrowly reverse egg-shaped, flattened, dull brown-black.