Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest along the coast in Washington; British Columbia to California.

Habitat: Sandy beaches along the coast.

Flowers: June-August

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Prostrate, matted perennial, the stems up to 3 dm. long, pubescent, usually covered at the base with old, dead leaves and stipules.

Leaves opposite, linear with a needle-like tip, crowded, 5-10 mm. long; stipules conspicuous, about equal to the leaves.

Flowers inconspicuous, sessile, clustered in the upper leaf axils; calyx top-shaped, 5-cleft nearly to the base, 4-5 mm. long, the lobes hooded, unequal, each lobe with a divergent spine about the same length, the 3 larger sepals nearly enclosing the 2 smaller ones; petals 5, scale-like, fused basally with the 3-5 stamens to form a tube surrounding the base of the ovary, the petals about half as long as the larger sepals; style 1, short.

Utricle nearly as long as the calyx and enclosed within it.