Duration: Annual

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Forb/Herb

General: Annual, 6-20 cm tall; stems simple or branched from near the base; herbage glandular-puberulent; taprooted.

Leaves: Cauline, alternate, elliptic to nearly rhombic, 1-1.5 cm long, 0.5-1 cm wide, glandular-puberulent, margins toothed; petiole slender.

Flowers: Usually solitary, rarely more than 1 blooming at a time on a stem, arising in the upper leaf axils; floral tube narrow in the lower half and expanding gradually above, 3-5 cm long, glabrous, sometimes pubescent, often fading to purplish or orange upon wilting; sepals 4, awl-shaped, 9-28 mm long, pale yellow-green, often purple-spotted; petals 4, obovate to rhomboidal, 10-30 mm long, yellow, turning purplish or reddish upon wilting; style exceeding the stamens, stigma disk-shaped to quadrangular; flowers April-September.

Fruits: Capsule, 8-12 mm long, glandular-puberulent.

Ecology: Volcanic soils, cinder flats, pinyon-juniper woodlands, occasionally in ponderosa pine communities; 1500-2300 m (5000-7500 ft); Cochise, Coconino, and Mohave counties; southwestern U.S.

Notes: na

Editor: Springer et al. 2008