Annual herb with simple or branched stem; branches are decumbent (lying on ground) to erect. Stems are finely grooved or furrowed and densely hairy.
Calyx broadly conic at the base; nutlets 1 to 3, smooth; style definitely not reaching the tips of the nutlets; spikes bractless.
Habitat
Sandy to rocky soils, west-facing limestone hillsides in creosote bush scrub and pinyon juniper woodland areas.
Flower Characteristics
The flowering spikes are coiled and compact,only ¼ to ¾ inch long, and never become fully elongated.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves are 1/2 to 1 inch long, simple, linear to narrowly oblanceolate. Leaves and stems are densely bristly and hairy.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Usually only one nutlet. If there are 2 or 3 then 1 or 2 are small and undeveloped. Nutlets are tiny and lanceolate to narrowly ovate, smooth and shiny with a raised line on the inside surface.