Loeflingia squarrosa Nutt., spreading loeflingia. Annual, slender–taprooted, 1–stemmed at base but 1—several cm above with stems radiating in all directions, branches repeatedly and unequally forked, dense mat–forming (large individuals), prostrate (short–erect), in range to 5 cm tall; shoots and inflorescence (= most of plant) glandular–hairy but not resinous or viscid to touch, the glandular hairs colorless.
Stems cylindric, slightly swollen or not just above each node, 0.8—1.2 mm wide at internode midpoint, conspicuously swollen at lower nodes to 1.6 mm diameter, pale green, internodes < 11 mm long, densely glandular–hairy with radiating hairs.
Leaves opposite decussate, simple, sessile and pair fused across node by membranous sheath, sheath continuing as colorless wings on lower blade + persistent and not splitting, with stipules; stipules 2 = each a terminal hair (seta) 0.4—0.6 mm long on each wing; blade spreading to recurved, linear and cylindric above winged base, 2.5—7 × 0.4—0.8 mm, ± fleshy, wings at base 2 mm long, entire, spine–tipped, the spine to 0.25 mm long and colorless.
Inflorescence appearing like solitary, axillary flowers but = a leafy dichasial cyme with forked stems of unequal diameters diverging beneath each sessile flower, bracteate, glandular–hairy; bracts 2 per node, spreading to recurved, equal, leaflike.
Flower resembling a tuft of green leaves, bisexual, radial, 4—6 mm across with spreading outer sepals; cleistogamous; sepals 5, unequal and helically arranged, the outer 2 sepals arching or becoming recurved, the inner sepals ascending, narrowly lanceolate, 3.5—6 × ± 1 mm within each flower, green, spine–tipped, glandular short–villous, often cylindric above midpoint, narrowly membranous and with 2 hairs (stipulelike setae) on basal margins; petals absent; stamens 3 or 5, free; filaments ± 0.5 mm long, pale green or colorless; anthers basifixed, dithecal, ± 0.2 mm long, yellowish, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen yellowish; pistil 1, obscurely stalked; ovary superior, 3–sided ovoid, ± 1 mm long, yellowish green, 1–chambered with ca. 25 ovules attached to central, basal post; style minute and 3–branched, stigmatic on inner face and smooth on outer sides of branches.
Fruit capsule, dehiscing by 3 valves at tip, in range several—12–seeded, compressed–lanceoloid, 0.5—0.8× length of inner sepals, the straw–colored valves recurved at tip, seeds attached to basal post.
Seed narrowly ovoid, 0.4—0.6 mm long, tannish blushed reddish brown along 1 side, minutely papillate along grooved edge.
A. C. Gibson & B. A. Prigge