Plant: Annual forb 10-20 cm; stems procumbent to prostrate, radiating from the root; stems reddish, herbage with branched hairs making leaves appear whitish Leaves: leaves (opposite) broadly ovate to spatulate 1-2 cm across, upper << lower; young terminal leaves white-gray, tomentose-canescent, hairs short, much-branched, wearing off, older leaves green above, more whitish below Inflorescence: cymes, clusters of 1-5 flowers, axillary, sessile, subtended and ± enclosed by involucres of 2-3 bract-like leaves that become hardened; bracts scarious Flowers: flowers yellow, in small axillary clusters, bisexual; sepals 5, 1.8-2.6 mm, 1-veined, glabrous inside, sometimes canescent outside, reflexed, inner scarious-margined; filament tube 0.3-0.4 mm, free filaments 0.6-1.6 mm; ovary spheric, style 1, short, stigma head-like or 2-lobed Fruit: a compressed utricle, indehiscent; wall membranous; Seed obovoid, brown Misc: Slopes; ± 1200 m; Jul-Oct References: J.C. Hickman, ed. The Jepson Manual.W.B. McDougal. Seed plants of Northern Arizona. ASU specimens.