PLANT: Herbs to ca. 6 cm tall.

ROOTS: elongate, woody.

STEMS: branching, spreading-ascending,. Sometimes suffrutescent.

LEAVES: crowded, sessile, to 15 mm long, subterete, linear to spatulate.

INFLORESCENCE: terminal cymules, sometimes on very short sub-branches and appearing lateral, often only 1-flowered, usually slightly overtopping the leaves; peduncles to ca. 3 mm long, sometimes obsolete.

FLOWERS: sepals oval to orbiculate, 3-4 mm long, deciduous; petals obovate, 8-10 mm long, rose, lavender, or rarely white; stamens ca. 20; stigmas 3, sublinear.

CAPSULES: subglobose, 3.5-4 mm long.

SEEDS: smooth, ca. 1 mm long.

SYNONYMS: [Talinum brevifolium Torr.]

NOTES: Dry rocky slopes and ledges in sand pockets: Apache, Coconino, Navajo cos.; 1600-2150 m (5200-7000 ft); Jun-Sep; NM, UT.

REFERENCES: Allison Bair, Marissa Howe, Daniela Roth, Robin Taylor, Tina Ayers, and Robert W. Kiger., 2006, Vascular Plants of Arizona: Portulacaceae. CANOTIA 2(1): 1-22.