Low annual herb, 6 to 8 inches tall; stems erect and branching, with branches spreading to ascending, often forked near the flower clusters at branch tips; plant minutely hairy.
Annual, branches often arch; stems often somewhat hairy, leaf blades stemmed, narrow, margins toothed; flower cluster gland appendages usually present, petal-like, white to pink, not covering the 4 to 5 yellow to pink glands.
Habitat
Found in dry rocky spots, desert scrub, grasslands, grassy plains with mesquite, oak and oak-juniper woodlands.
Flower Characteristics
Bracts form a cup with 4 yellow to pink glands around edge, each with white to pink petal-like appendages, sometimes divided into triangular lobes; ring of inconspicuous male flowers, each with single stamen; single, stalked female flower, lacks petals.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves narrow and opposite, 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long, sharply serrated; most leaves clustered near branch tips and forking; short leaf stalks, with tiny gland appendages at the base of the leaf stems; midvein visible.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Capsules angled, distinctly 3-lobed, oblong, 1/8 inch wide, sparsely hairy.
Seeds white to gray or light brown, egg-shaped, wart-like bumps, bluntly 4-angled in cross-section, with 2 to 3 transverse ridges (right angles to length of the seed).