Reaching 1-2 (3) feet tall and wide, this densely branching, low-growing undersuhub sprawls across the forest floor and rocky outcrops. Note the smooth, shiny green leaves grow opposite on slender branches, and the tiny flowers in the leaf axils have 4 maroon petals.

FLOWERS: May–July. 1–3 flowers in leaf axils all along branches; 4 spreading petals, dark red to maroon, oval, 1/16 inch long (1–2 mm); fruit a brown, egg-shaped capsule 3/16–5/16 inch long (4–7 mm).

LEAVES: Opposite; blade elliptic to oval, 5/16–1 3/8 inches long (8–34 mm); edges have tiny serrations; surfaces smooth, top glossy green, bottom pale; base tapered, tip rounded to pointed.

HABITAT: Wet to dry soils, shady conifer forests, slopes, canyons, outcrops; pinyon-juniper woodlands, ponderosa-Douglas fir, spruce-fir forests.

ELEVATION: 6,500–11,210 feet (1981–3416 m).

RANGE: AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY; Canada, Mexico.

SIMILAR SPECIES: The low growth habit, and small, evergreen, opposite leaves, and montane to subalpine forest habitat distinguish this species.

NM COUNTIES: Widespread in NM mountains in mid- to high-elevation forested habitats: Bernalillo, Catron, Cibola, Colfax, Grant, Lincoln, Los Alamos, Luna, McKinley, Moro, Otero, Rio Arriba, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, Valencia.