Description
Fendler Cat's-eye is an annual herb with simple or branched stems that are 5-20 cm high. The alternate, narrow, strap-shaped leaves may be up to 3 cm long; those at the base are usually brown by the time the plant is fruiting. The foliage is sparsely covered with spreading hairs. Tiny, white flowers are borne on coiled stalks that unwind and elongate as flowering progresses from the base upward. The corolla is ca. 1 mm high and has a small, united portion below and 5 spreading petals above. The calyx is covered with stiff, straight hairs and becomes 4-6 mm long in fruit. Within each fruiting calyx are 4 smooth, shiny, narrowly lance-shaped nutlets that are ca. 1.5 mm long and 1/3 as wide; 1 or more of these may be missing.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Annual species of CRYPTANTHA are distinguished by characters of the seeds, so a hand lens or microscope is essential. C. FENDLERI is distinguished by having 4 smooth, shiny nutlets that are lance-shaped and 1/3 as wide as they are long.