Burke: Eremogone aculeata

	Eremogone aculeata
	needle-leaf sandwort, prickly sandwort
Habit	Tufted perennial from a freely-branched, woody base, forming mats 5-15 cm. broad; flowering stems numerous, 10-20 cm. tall, glandular-pubescent with dark-tipped hairs.
Leaves	Leaves mostly basal, forming thick, prickly cushions, rigid and sharp-pointed, spreading, narrowly linear, 1-2 cm. long and less than 0.5 mm. wide; cauline leaves few, 1-2 pairs, greatly reduced.
Flowers	Flowers several to numerous, in open, diffuse cymes; sepals 5, broadly ovate, 3-4 mm. long, obtuse, wing-margined and purplish-tinged; petals 5, white, nearly twice as long as the sepals; stamens 10; styles 3.
Fruits	Capsule ovoid, about the length of the calyx, dehiscent by 6 teeth.

	Eremogone aculeata
Flowering time	June-August
Habitat	Gravelly sagebrush-covered hills from moderate elevations to the alpine.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in southeastern Washington; southeastern Washington to California, east to Montana, Utah, and Nevada. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	E. capillaris, E. congesta, E. franklinii
Web links	Local floras: CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Eremogone aculeata

needle-leaf sandwort, prickly sandwort

Habit

Tufted perennial from a freely-branched, woody base, forming mats 5-15 cm. broad; flowering stems numerous, 10-20 cm. tall, glandular-pubescent with dark-tipped hairs.

Leaves

Leaves mostly basal, forming thick, prickly cushions, rigid and sharp-pointed, spreading, narrowly linear, 1-2 cm. long and less than 0.5 mm. wide;

cauline leaves few, 1-2 pairs, greatly reduced.

Flowers

Flowers several to numerous, in open, diffuse cymes;

sepals 5, broadly ovate, 3-4 mm. long, obtuse, wing-margined and purplish-tinged;

petals 5, white, nearly twice as long as the sepals;

stamens 10;

styles 3.

Fruits

Capsule ovoid, about the length of the calyx, dehiscent by 6 teeth.