Spreading Navarretia

Description

Navarretia fossalis is a rare species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common name spreading navarretia. Navarretia fossalis is a hairy annual herb producing a spreading stem up to about 15 centimeters high. The hairless leaves are up to 5 centimeters long and are divided into narrow linear lobes that turn spiny sharp when dry. The inflorescence is a flat-topped head 1 or 2 centimeters wide filled with lobed bracts and clusters of flowers. The white or purple-tinged flowers are under a centimeter long and have corollas divided into minute narrow lobes under a millimeter long. The fruit capsule yields a clump of tiny seeds that remain stuck together until they become wet, turning into a sticky, separating mass.