Plant: small perennial herb; cespitose with woody taproots. STEMS 1-5(-10) cm tall, slender Leaves: linear or the lower ones oblanceolate or elliptic, 5-28 mm long, 0.5-1(-3) mm wide, erect or strongly ascending. Flowers: heterostylous, usually one per node, subsessile or on pedicels to 4 mm long; corollas 8-41 mm long, salverform, pink, purplish, reddish, rose or white Fruit: FRUITS 2-3.5 mm long, 2-5 mm wide, thick-walled, 1.8-1.3 inferior, on recurved pedicels; SEEDS 0.8-2.1 mm in diameter, with hilar ridge in a saucer-shaped concavity Misc: Desert plains, washes, sometimes with pinyon-juniper or oak-pine; 1300-2500 m (4200-8200 ft); Feb-Nov REFERENCES: Terrell, Edward E. 1995 Rubiaceae. Houstonia. J. Ariz. – Nev. Acad. Sci. 29(l): 36.