Plants 1-2(-2.5) × 1-2 dm. Leaf blades obovate or spatulate, 1-2(-3) × 0.2-1(-1.5) cm. Perianths 8-9(-10) mm; tepals laciniate apically with distal segments linear, scarcely broader than lateral ones. 2n = 40.

Flowering Mar-Jul. Sandy to gravelly or rocky places, mixed grassland and chaparral communities, pine-oak woodlands; 400-1500 m; Calif.; Mexico (Baja California).

Variety laciniata is found from San Diego and western Imperial counties southward into Baja California. It can be weedy, especially in chaparral.