Plants woody at base or throughout, overall moderately pubescent, with glandular hairs, also with minute white, curved, flattened, or T-shaped hairs. Stems erect or decumbent, sparsely leafy, 30-150 cm. Leaves dark green, often purplish, drying dark grayish green, sessile or petiolate, those of a pair slightly unequal, gradually reduced toward inflorescence, leathery-succulent; petiole 0-3 mm; blade linear, narrowly oblong, or lanceolate, 5-32 × 1-7 mm, base tapered, margins entire, apex acute or rounded and apiculate. Flowers 1(-2) in axils of distal leaves; pedicel 1-3 mm; perianth 10-15 mm, tube dark greenish yellow, limbs dull brownish orange, 6-8 mm diam.; stamens 5. Fruits 5-7 mm, puberulent with white flattened hairs; wings 1.5-2.5 mm wide.

Flowering late spring-early fall. Arid, well-drained, often rocky, igneous, calcareous, or gypseous soils; 600-1000[-1800] m; Tex.; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango).