Rusty popcorn flower is a taprooted annual with one to several stems arising from the base. The herbage is spreading-hairy with the hairs of the stem shorter, softer, more curled and somewhat stickier than those of the leaves. The leaves are all alternate with a basal tuft of persistent leaves and a few progressively reduce leaves scattered on the stems. The basal leaves range from 2-10 cm long and 5-20 mm wide, and they are largely the same width through much of their length.
The racemes are often paired, beginning as a tight coil and then elongating. The white flowers are relatively large and showy, with individual petals ranging from 5-9 mm wide. The calyx is covered with stiff yellowish, tawny hairs.
Rusty popcorn flower may be found on open slopes, in fields and along roadsides.
Rusty popcorn flower is common in the Columbia River Gorge and found west of the Cascade Mts. occasionally from western Oregon south to northern Baja California.
In the Columbia River Gorge, it may be found between the elevations of 100'-1400' from Dog Mt. east to near the Dalles, OR. It can be found eastward to the eastern foothills of the Cascades of northern Oregon and a specimen has been found in the vicinity of Klamath Lake in Klamath County, OR.
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