Disclaimer ..... I don't know what this is and US natives are outside my experience. However, since nobody has come up with anything on this I'll say what it makes me think of. I get a sort of Scrophulariaceae feeling when I look at this. Something like a Mimulus or figwort. The wet site would support this hunch. The coloration may be a defining feature or it may be just a one off aberration in this particular specimen. Maybe someone else can take this idea further.

There's a cultivar with the name 'Sputnik' as well. Here is a link that might be useful: Sputnik

Closer view might improve results for you.

Wow!! it is *definitely* Salsola soda... Thank you, tyrlych... So maybe I should think about getting into the glass-making business?? (S. soda was historically used to create 'soda ash', which was used to create reliable, clear glass).