This herb produces slender prostrate stems up to 7 to 8 inches long, forming a mat up to 16 inches in diameter. It can be found in varied habitat types and in many areas grows as a roadside weed.
Seeds transversely ridged. Fruit hairy only on lobes. Flower glands 4, <0.5 mm, transversely elliptic; petal-like appendage as wide as to wider than gland, entire to scalloped, white.
Habitat
Sandy flats, slopes, and washes in desert transition zones near bases of mountains. Also found in disturbed areas and at a variety of elevations. Can be considered a weed.
Flower Characteristics
The flowers are tiny and cup-shaped with white petal-like appendages surrounding the actual flowers. There are 4 male flowers and a single female flower, the latter developing into a lobed, hairy fruit capsule.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
The oval-shaped leaves are less than 1/2 inch long with finely toothed edges. Leaves and stems may have some hairs.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Tiny capsules of seeds are spheric and lobed, bearing hairs on external angles.
Tiny seeds are ovoid and white to gray with sharp transverse ridges.