Plants perennial, mat-forming; caudex branched, woody. Stems prostrate, usually much-branched throughout, 5-50 cm, pubescent. Leaves: stipules ovate-lanceolate, 3-6 mm, apex narrowly acute to long-acuminate, entire; blade elliptic to oblanceolate, 5-10 × 1.5-2.5 mm, ± fleshy, apex spin-ulous, entire, ± moderately antrorsely appressed-pu-bescent. Cymes axillary, inconspicuous, 2-6-flowered, tightly congested. Flowers 5-merous, short-cylindric, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx cylindric to slightly tapering distally, 1.9-2.4 mm, glabrous, sepals puberulent distally; sepals greenish, becoming reddish brown, midrib and lateral pair of veins often apparent, oblong to ovate, 1.2-1.3 mm, herbaceous, margins translucent, ca. 0.1 mm wide, scarious, apex terminated by awn, hood broadly rounded, awn erect, 0.5-0.7 mm, conic in proximal 6 with whitish, smooth spine; staminodes absent; styles 2, 0.2-0.3 mm. Utricles ± globose to 4-angled, 1.2-1.3 mm, papillate distally.

Flowering spring. Grassy hills; 20-300 m; introduced; Calif.; South America (Chile).

Although Paronychia franciscana was described from California, where it has been known from the San Francisco area since 1887, the species is native in Chile.