Pectocarya spp.

Family Boraginaceae

Kearny & Peebles (cited on Main Wildflowers page, p. 711), describe these as "Slender annual herbs with linear leaves and inconspicuous white flowers ...
The species frequently grow together, and some of them are very similar in general appearance. Collections made without care may contain mixtures of 2 or even 3 species." They list 4 species for Arizona, noting that hybridization is rare.

These plants were photographed in February and March of 2005, the tiny size of the flowers indicated by the camera lens cover shown above. Another name for these flowers is "Belly Flowers", so-called because of the posture requirements for close observation. Below are closeups of these flowers (Click on each image to enlarge it):

....

The photo below shows the carpet with the barrel of a ballpoint pen for size comparison. A few Filaree plants are also present.

In the photo below the carpet is seen stretching out among desert shrubs near the Red Tank. Most of the plants in the carpet are Pectocarya.