Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to the Great Plains.

Habitat: Sagebrush plains and foothills, often in saline or alkaline soil.

Flowers: April-July

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Wind

Spreading, small, monoecious shrub with grayish-barked woody base up to 2 dm. tall, with numerous erect annual stems up to 5 dm. long, these densely stellate-pubescent and somewhat woolly, grayish at first but becoming reddish.

Leaves numerous, linear to narrowly lanceolate, the primary up to 4 cm. long with reduced leaves clustered in their axils; branches floriferous 1/3-2/3 their length.

Pistillate flowers 2-4 in the leaf axils, naked, but with a pair of bracteoles up to 6 mm. long (including the horn-like tips) enclosing the fruit; staminate flowers uppermost on the stems, few to many in short, axillary clusters; perianth segments 4, 1.5-2 mm. long; stamens 4, exerted.

Seed covering early-deciduous.