Annual herbs, to 3 feet high, 8 feet wide, from small, poorly developed roots; stems erect to spreading, thick and semi-succulent, densely sticky and hairy.
Densely glandular-hairy all over; with large rounded leaves; especially distinct are the pink snapdragon-like flowers, yellow nectar guide; young fruits are wet-glandular with a rank smell, vaguely resemble green chiles, mature fruit split into two claws.
Habitat
Sandy and gravelly soils, fields, roadsides, and disturbed areas.
Flower Characteristics
5 irregular lobes at the top and a single slit all the way down the lower (abaxial) side; corolla 1 inch long, bell-shaped (tubular-campanulate) and 2-lipped, glandular-hairy, and reddish-purple, pink, or white, with a bright yellow nectar guide.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Opposite along the stems, on long petioles to 10 inches long or more; blades 4-3/4 to 10 inches long, broadly rounded, the margins with 3 to 7 shallow lobes and the base shallowly cordate (heart-shaped) and sometimes asymmetrical.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Hook-shaped capsule, green, succulent, and glandular-pubescent when fresh; woody and splitting open longitudinally when dried; the body (seed-containing portion) of the capsule is 2 to 2-3/4 inches long with a diameter of 3/4 inch.