Description: Low spreading annual plant, to 40 cm (16 in.) high and
30 - 150 cm (12 - 60 in.) across. Main flowering stem is short. Basal leaves round, blades to 3 cm (1.2 in.) long and wide, with dense white pubescence underneath. Inflorescence of forked branches, spreading widely, forming a
flat-topped crown. Flowers with involucres (bracts); flowers 10 - 20, white with greenish to reddish midribs. Fruit a three-sided achene. Time of flowering:
mid-May to mid-June.
Habitat: Salt desert scrub community with mostly barren, saline, heavy clay or silty hardpan soils; occurs on or near dry lakebeds, stabilized sand dunes, and associated mesquite woodlands. Elevations: 700 - 850 m (2,290 - 2,800 ft).
Range: Endemic to the Mojave Desert, along the border of Nevada and California. Occurs within limited areas in Pahrump Valley and Sandy Valley, Nevada, and in Steward Valley, California.
Comments: This is a short-lived (ephemeral) species, germinating only after above average precipitation events. The specific name refers to the forked branches of the inflorescence.