Tribulus minutus

Prostrate much-branched annual or perennial herb; stems to 60 cm long, covered with short appressed hairs, glabrescent with age. Leaves opposite, unequal, sometimes 1 falling and then appearing alternate, with 3–7 pairs of leaflets; leaflets subsessile, obliquely oblong, 3–8 mm long, to c. 2.5 mm wide, apex acute or obtuse, upper surface with hairs mostly on midrib and margins, lower surface more evenly hairy; stipules more or less triangular, to c. 1 mm long. Flowers on pedicels to c. 10 mm long; sepals ovate, 1.5–3 mm long, acute; petals obovate, 3–5 mm long, yellow; stigma hemispherical to globose, style much shorter than stigma, often nearly absent. Schizocarp more or less globose, glabrous or with sparse broad-based bristles; mericarps pyramidal, 2–5 mm long, rugose-muricate on dorsal surface, with 2 divergent spines 0.5–2 mm long below middle and 2 very short downward pointing spines near base; seeds 1 or 2 per mericarp. Flowers mostly Nov.–Apr.