Leaves arranged alternately, usually with axillary fascicles (clusters) of smaller leaves. Leaves are sessile (directly attached to stems without a small leaf-stem), ~0.8-4.5 cm long and <0.2 cm wide, greyish green and glabrous. The inflorescence is on a bracteate spike (the spike contains small triangular leaf-like structures under the flowers) ~2-10 cm long. The spikes are densely flowered with tiny flowers (~1.5 mm or <0.1 cm long). The flowers have 4 sepals, 2 white petals, which can have entire (smooth) or lobed margins, and 3 stamens. They flower from February to July. The fruit is a capsule <0.1 cm long and <0.3 cm wide, shaped like a depressed or collapsed sphere containing 4 lobes or teeth. Seeds are shiny, black, and tiny (~0.5 mm wide). The plant itself is an annual herb made up of several erect stems, 10-30 cm tall. It favors rocky slopes, dunes, ocean bluffs, and somewhat saline locations, being found along the coast, as at Palos Verdes, and also inland in the Mojave Desert.
Oligomeris linifolia (Resedaceae): oligómeris or lineleaf whitepuff
The development of this key was partially funded through the Geoscience Diversity Enhancement Program (Award #0703798) and through a course of re-assigned time provided by the CSULB Scholarly and Creative Activities Committee. Thanks also to the students in sections of biogeography, introductory physical geography, GDEP, and LSAMP for "test-driving" various editions of this key.