Pholistoma auritum subsp. arizonicum

A weak-stemmed, somewhat scrambling winter annual of the Sonoran Desert, similar to Eucrypta micrantha but with reflexed lobes between the sepals, to which the specific epithet (meaning "eared") refers. Subspecies arizonicum has smaller flowers than subsp. auritum.

Side view of a flower, showing the "ears", in King's Canyon of the Tucson Mountains, 21 Feb 2009. Seen on a field trip with the Arizona Native Plant Society.

A flower in King's Canyon, 21 Feb 2009.

A cauline leaf in King's Canyon, 21 Feb 2009. The hairs of the abaxial leaf surface are retrorsely hooked.