Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Prostrate perennial, papillate with crystalline globules abundant, glabrous.

Stems: Up to 1 m, forming mats to 2 m diam., branched from base, finely verrucose, not rooting at nodes.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades linear to widely spatulate, to 4 cm. long. Base tapered or flared and clasping. Surfaces finely verrucose, covered densely in crystalline, hemispherical papillae. Margins entire. Petioles absent. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers solitary in the leaf axils. Flowers bisexual (perfect); pedicels up to 2 mm, or absent. Calyx of 5 sepals, lobes rose or orange adaxially, ovate–lanceolate, 2–10 mm, margins scarious, apex hooded or beaked, papillate abaxially. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens 30; filaments connate in proximal ½, reddish. Ovary partly superior, 5-celled; styles 5.

Fruit: Capsules with circumscissile dehiscience; ovoid–globose; 4–5 mm. Seeds 20–40; dark brown to black; 0.8–1 mm; shiny; smooth.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Moist or seasonally dry flats; margins of usually saline or alkaline habitats; including coastal wetlands and desert playa lakes.

Elevation Range: 0–1,000 m.