It is native to much of the western United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in sandy soils such as those of the deserts.

This is an annual herb producing a number of horizontal red stems extending outward from the short central stem.

Each leaf is multilobed, and mostly green but often red-tipped, and less than 2 centimeters long.

Stems and leaves are covered with woolly glandular hairs.

The long stem branches bear inflorescences of leaflike bracts which are green with sharp-pointed red tips, and tiny white flowers a few millimeters across.