PLANT: Erect to decumbent herb, to 15 cm long. LEAVES: elliptic-oblanceolate, acute, 2-6 mm long, 0.5-1.5 mm wide. FLOWERS: 1 per node, 1.2-2 mm long, on pedicels in age 2-19 mm; sepals deltoid-ovate to oblong, subacute to rounded, 0.4-1.3 mm long; petals lanceolate, subacute, 1.0-1.9 mm long. FOLLICLES: 6-17-seeded, erect before opening, oblong, subtruncate, the suture straight below, abruptly outcurved through 90 0 in upper one fourth, the tiny style spreading. SEEDS: elliptic-oblong, not papillate. NOTES: Infrequent, ponds and wet meadows; Apache Co.; 2900 m (9500 ft); Aug-Sep; to AK, Can., Mex., n Eurasia. C. saginoides is an inland phase with pedicels elongate in fruit. REFERENCES: Moran, Reid. 1994. Bixaceae. J. Ariz. – Nev. Acad. Sci. Volume 27, 190-194.