Distribution: East of the Cascades in Washington; British Columbia south to tropical America.

Habitat: Saline places at low evelevations, often in the beds of dried ponds.

Flowers: June-September

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Annual, Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Glabrous, succulent, taprooted annual or short-lived perennial, prostrate or ascending, the stems 1-6 dm. long.

Leaves all cauline, alternate, the lowermost reduced and scaly, the others oblanceolate and short-petiolate, 2-6 cm. long and 6-18 mm. wide.

Inflorescence of 1-several short, coiled, naked spikes at the end of a common peduncle, up to 6 cm. long at maturity; calyx 2-3 mm. long, the 5 lobes erect; corolla white or tinged with blue, 5-lobed, the limb 5-9 mm. wide, the tube slender; stigma sessile, disk-like, as broad as the ovary.

Nutlets 4, 1.5-2 mm. long, tardily separating.