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Botanical Description

shrublet with a potentially wide spread, the long, tortuous, spiny stems bearing adventitious roots. Leaves subsessile, narrowly obovate, tough, 4-9mm long with a distinct central vein, in little clusters or rosettes at each node along the stems. Flowers solitary, perfumed, on pedicels 2- 11mm long, between and amongst the leaves, often abundantly. The white tubular, fleshy calyx, 3- 5mm long is waisted midway and bears four short, semi-reflexed teeth at the mouth. There are also four fleeting equally short membranous boat-shaped petals, alternate with the calyx teeth and curling inwards, plus four dark anthers making an effective contrast. The unshowy fruit comprises three flattened, rounded seeds in the cup of the receptacle after the calyx drops away. Central cordilleras of Chile and Argentina, southwards along the Andean chain to Lago Buenos Aires, or rocky outcrops and slopes, moist sandy flats and upland grassland at 1200m (in the south) to 2800m.