Plants annual, taprooted. Stems 2 or more from each rosette, spreading to ascending, 2-11 cm. Leaves basal and cauline; basal in single, prostrate rosette; blade spatulate, 1-3 cm. Inflorescences paniculate or racemose scorpioid cymes, becoming secund, open to dense. Flowers subsessile; sepals ovate, orbiculate, or reniform, unequal, 2-5 mm, margins scarious; petals 3(-4), white or pinkish, 1.5-3 mm; stamens 1-3, anther yellow; style absent; stigmas 2. Capsules ovoid to cylindric, 3-7 mm; valves 2. Seeds 10-15, black, orbicular, 0.6-0.7 mm, shiny. 2n = 44. Flowering Jun-Jul. Open, sandy areas, chaparral, woodlands; 700-3400 m; Ariz., Calif.; Mexico (Baja California). Some authorities recognize varietal segregates in this species based on minor characters that appear to exhibit much variation from population to population; they are not treated in this account.

Annual herbs to 10 cm tall. STEMS: spreading to ascending. LEAVES: in an ephemeral basal rosette, spatulate, up to 7.5 cm long. INFLORESCENCE: a 1-sided raceme, to 4.5 cm long; bracts ovate to elliptic. FLOWERS: sessile; sepals scarious or scarious-margined, ovate, 1.5-5 mm long; petals 3, white to pinkish, 1.5-3 mm long; stamens 1-3; styles absent; stigmas 2, sessile. CAPSULE: with 2 valves, ovoid to cylindric, 2-8 mm long, not more than twice as long as sepals. SEEDS: 5-15, black, tuberculate to smooth, dull to shiny. 4 vars. (1 in AZ); CA to UT . Var. arizonica (J.T. Howell) Kartesz & Gandhi (from Arizona). Arizona Pussypaws. —Seeds smooth, shiny. [Calyptridium parryi Gray var. arizonicum J.T. Howell]. NOTES: Sand and gravel washes, open areas: Graham, Pima, Pinal, Yavapai cos.; 800 – 1300 m (2600 –4200 ft); Feb. - May; CA; Mex. (Baja C.). Allison Bair, Marissa Howe, Daniela Roth, Robin Taylor, Tina Ayers, and Robert W. Kiger., 2006, Vascular Plants of Arizona: Portulacaceae. CANOTIA 2(1): 1-22.