Native to southwestern United States, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Chile,
Argentina, Uruguay, and Hawai`i.In the Hawaiian Islands,
indigenous to
O`ahu, Moloka`i, Kaho`olawe.
Subshrubs or suffrutescent herbs; stems erect or decumbent, usually 5-35 cm long, hirsute to sericeous.
Leaves
Leaves often fleshy, elliptic to lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 3-10 mm long, 1-4 mm wide, hirsute to sericeous, margins entire, apex usually acute, petioles 0.5-2 mm long.
Flowers
Flowers solitary and axillary, usually at the tips of the branches, pedicels 1-3 mm long; sepals herbaceous, elliptic, inner ones sometimes obovate, 3-4.5 mm long, 2.5-3 mm wide, pubescent, margins scarious, apex obtuse or acute; corolla white, 5-6.5 mm long, the tube 3-3.5 mm long, the lobes obtuse to subacute, 2.4-3 mm long, with tufts of hairs near apex; stamens equal, 4-6 mm long; filaments glandular pubescent at base; ovary ovoid, apex pubescent; styles unequal, 3.5-5 mm long.
Fruit
Capsules tan to brown, 5-6 mm long, apically pubescent.
Seeds
Seed usually 1, dark brown or black, ovoid, 3-3.5 mm long, glabrous.
