Ground pink is a low annual with several slender, spreading to erect, puberulent stems from 2" to 4-1/2" tall.  The leaves are mostly opposite, entire, filiform or linear-oblong, and glabrous, from 3/8" to 3/4" long.  There are 1-several generally subsessile, showy flowers in a leafy inflorescence.  The calyx is deeply 5-cleft into linear lobes with a thin membrane filling in the lower half of the sinus, while the corolla is rotate or funnelform, and pink, lilac or white.  The outer edges of the petals are fringed, and there are often dark maroon or purple basal spots.  The corolla throat is yellow, and the five stamens are inserted at the base of the throat.  Ground pink is an aptly named plant, and may be found in open sandy places in coastal sage scrub, chaparral and valley grassland below 4000' from Santa Barbara to San Diego County and the western edge of the Colorado Desert.  It blooms from February to April.  These pictures were taken in the San Gabriel foothills and at the Westlake Open Space.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Linanthus 2) dianthiflorus.
Pronunciation: lie-NAN-thus di-an-thi-FLOR-us.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.