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Procumbent or decumbent hispidulous or glabrate perennials, the branching stems to 100 cm. long. Leaves slightly pubescent but soon glabrate, elliptic to broadly ovate or obovate, apically acuminate to acute and mucronate, basally rounded to cuneate, 2-6 cm. long, 0.5-2 cm. wide; petioles 2-10 mm. long, usually winged. Inflorescences of stramineous to white globose to ovoid heads, 3-10 mm. long, 3-6 mm. broad, sessile in the axils. Flowers perfect, bracts and bracteoles subequal, ovate, aristate, 1.5-3 mm. long; sepals 5, the outer 3 broader, 3-ribbed, basally indurate and hispidulous, 3-5 mm. long; stamens 5, united below into a tube, the pseudostaminodia lacerate and exceeding the filaments; ovary obovoid; style 1, 2-3 times as long as the capitate stigma. Fruit an indehiscent suborbicular utricle, 1-1.5 mm. long; seeds reddish brown, cochleate-orbiculate, 0.8-1.2 mm. broad.
A spreading herb. It grows in water. It grows 20-30 cm high. The stems are branching. The leaves are narrow and 8 cm long by 1.5 cm wide. The leaf stalks are very short. The leaves are olive green above and reddish underneath. The stems and leaves are hairy. The flowers are in groups in the axils of leaves. They are in round white heads that occur singly. The fruit is dry. The seeds are black.
