Linanthus pungens

Linanthus pungens (syn. Leptodactylon pungens) is a species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names granite prickly-phlox and granite gilia. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Baja California and east to Montana and New Mexico. This plant has been called a shrub or a perennial herb with an especially woody base. It produces several stems which may grow erect or may be short and spreading, forming a mat. Mat-forming plants are more common at higher elevations. When erect it can reach 80 centimeters (2. 6 feet) in height but it is usually shorter. The stems are densely covered in solid, narrow, sharp-pointed leaves. Flowers are solitary or grow in clusters at the ends of the stems. Each funnel-shaped flower is 1 to 2. 5 cm (0. 39 to 0. 98 in) long and may be white, cream, yellowish, or pinkish in color. The flowers generally open in the evening. The flowers and herbage are aromatic. The fruit is a cylindrical capsule with three valves, each valve holding about 5 to 10 seeds.