Thin, hairy-stemmed annual spreading on the ground or sprawling along rocks and nearby vegetation; may be hidden beneath other plants. Small green or pinkish leaves are oval to fan-shaped. Very tiny bell-like flowers form small clusters at the stem tips.
Stems arise directly from the slender taproot, sprawling and spreading; stem leaves broadly oval to fan-shaped, margins smooth or lobed; flowers 2 to 3 per flower head, pale yellow to pink or bright pink, somewhat bell-shaped.
Habitat
Found in open, often shaded areas in sandy or gravelly soils on slopes, among rocks or in chaparral woodlands.
Flower Characteristics
Flowers (2 to 3) grow in small rounded terminal clusters. The very tiny flower grows to about 1/16 inch and has 6 (rarely 5) petal-like sepals. Below the flower is a reddish, dry, 2-lobed (winged) leaf-like bract with a net-like pattern on its surface.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Few to many stems branch from the base and are covered with long, stiff hairs. Lower leaves are fan-shaped, often 2-lobed and 1/8 to 3/4 inch wide. Upper leaves are rounded, wider than long with a smooth or finely notched margin. Leaves have short stalks.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit is smooth, shiny, 3-angled, oval to triangular, about 1/16 inch long and swollen on the back. Its outer layer forms "wings" (enlarged lobes) that extend outward from the sides. Fruit is loosely enclosed by the leaf-like bracts below the flower.
1 seed is produced in the fruit which does not split open at maturity to release the seed. However, the "wings" on the fruit aid in seed dispersal by the wind.