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Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Annual
General Desc:
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.
Identification notes: 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.
Height:
To about 2 feet across
Habitat Description: Found in open, often shaded areas in sandy or gravelly soils on slopes, among rocks or in chaparral woodlands.
Plant Communities:
Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral
Elevation: Below 3500 feet
Color:
Pale yellow to pink, bright pink
Shape:
Inconspicuous in round clusters
Tubular:
N
Flowering Period:
Feb - Apr
Description:
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 Color:
Green or pinkish
Leaf Type:
Simple
Leaf Shape:
Round or oval
Leaf Margin:
Other
Leaf Attachment:
Opposite
Leaves Clasp:
N
Hairs:
Leaves and stems
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
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 Color: Reddish, light yellowish-brown
Fruit Type: Achene
Fruit Notes: 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.
Seed Notes: 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.
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