Perennial from a woody base; stems trailing along the ground and rooting at the nodes, 8 to 40 inches long, covered with fine layer of hairs, square in cross section.
Stems trail along the ground, stem nodes have a cluster of long, narrow leaves with prominent mid-veins and a few teeth near the slightly widened tips, nodes may have a round cluster of white, to pink to purplish flowers barely elevated above the leaves.
Habitat
Found in gravelly soils, near stream beds and playas.
Flower Characteristics
Clustered in dense spikes, round in flower and elongating to ovoid in fruit, on stems from leaf axils; stems shorter than or up to 2 times as long as subtending leaves; corollas white, pink to purplish, yellow center, 1/8 inch long, 2-lipped, 4 lobes.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Opposite and sessile, clustered on short branches at stem nodes; blades tapered at base to oval-like, to 1 inch long, thickish, with conspicuous midrib, margins with 1 to 4 pairs of teeth close to leaf tip, surfaces with long, soft grayish-white hairs.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Schizocarps (fruit which splits into separate 1-seeded segments) oval, separating into 2 nutlets.