Description: Annual plant, with somewhat flexuous (zigzag) stems
10 - 20 cm (4 - 8 in.) long. Leaves and stems are covered with a fine ashy pubescence (hairy). Leaves 3 - 5 cm (1.2 - 2 in.) long, leaflets 9, elliptical,
4 - 15 mm (to 0.6 in.) long. Inflorescence with bilateral (pea-like) flowers; petals white, to 5 mm (0.2 in.) long. Fruit a pod, curved, oblong, triangular in cross section, 1 mm or less wide, somewhat flattened. Time of flowering: April to May.
Habitat: Found in Mojave desert scrub communities, in open, deep sandy soils of washes or dunes, and in sandy soils formed from sedimentary
formations adjacent to Lake Mead and its tributary valleys; in Nevada dependent on sand dunes or deep sand. Plants occur in low numbers at most locations, and may not germinate every year depending on rainfall. Elevations: 460 - 670 m (1,500 - 2,200 ft).
Range: Endemic to the southeastern Mojave Desert. Known in Clark County, Nevada, in the Dry Lake Valley, Overton Arm, Sandy Cove, and vicinity of Glendale and Riverside. Also found in Lincoln County, Nevada, and Mohave County, Arizona.
Comments: Germination appears to be dependent on above-average
rainfall. This species is very rare and difficult to protect because it only germinates during favorable years. Range of this species somewhat
overlaps with sticky buckwheat (Eriogonum viscidulum).
Special Remarks: This is a State of Nevada Critically Endangered Species.