Timwort, American or square cicendia, tiny yellow gentian

Gentiana quadrangularis Dombey ex Lamarck in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 2: 645. 1788; Microcala quadrangularis (Dombey ex Lamarck) Grisebach

Herbs 1–9 cm. Stem 1, branch­ing at various levels in larger plants. Leaves basal often with­ered at flowering time, cauline spreading; basal blades spatulate-obovate to oblance­olate or elliptic-oblong, 3–15 × 1–3 mm; cauline blades narrowly elliptic-oblong to oblanceolate, 3.5–7 × 0.5–2 mm, base connate-sheathing 0.5 mm, apex obtuse to sub­acute. Inflorescences 1–5-flowered; pedicels 3–60 mm. Flowers: calyx hemispheric, 2–7 mm, much exceeding corolla tube in diam., outer lobes proximally rhombic, distal portion triangular, apex acute, inner lobes proxi­mally oblong, distal portion with strongly invaginated flanges, abruptly narrowed into ovate-triangular, cucul­late, acuminate apex; corolla 3–10 mm, lobes ovate-triangular to ovate-elliptic, 1–4 mm, apex rounded or abruptly acute. 2n = 26.

Flowering spring–early summer. Grassy places, edges of vernal pools, other open habitats; 0–2700 m; Calif., Oreg.; South America; introduced in Australia.

In the latter part of the life of the flower, the stamens of Cicendia quadrangularis arch over toward the stig­mas, permitting self-pollination if outbreeding has not already occurred. The corollas close at night and in cloudy weather.