Annual, erect or ascending, 40-60 cm long, almost simple or in higher part with (sometimes many) obliquely erect branches, unarmed; stem straight or slightly flexuous, obtusangular, glabrous or very thinly clothed with minute patent hairs. Leaves (larger ones at least) rather long petioled, oblong from long-cuneate base, much narrowed in upper half, obtuse or slightly emarginate, shortly mucronate, with oblique prominent primary lateral nerves; glabrous; larger leaves 3-6 by 1¼-2½ cm. Flower-clusters dense; lower ones axillary; higher ones collected in continuous or more or less interrupted spike; terminal spike simple or branched; flowers in upper part of panicle-branches often exclusively ♂, lower down largely or exclusively ♀; bracts and bracteoles shorter than perianth, mucronate on broadly oval transparent base. Flowers green, all of them (in the Timor-specimen) 5-merous. Tepals of ♂ oblong, acute or minutely mucronate, 1⅓-1½ mm long; tepals of ♀ narrowly spathulate, very shortly mucronate, slightly accrescent with age, 1¼-1¾ mm long. Styles 2-3, erect ⅓-1½ mm. Utricle falling off together with the perianth, broadly ellipsoid, rather thick, in a dried state faintly longitudinally ribbed and rugulose, tipped above the seed with a sharply delimitated, broad, obtuse cone (bearing the unaltered styles), indehiscent or in dried materials bursting irregularly. Seed thick, with an obtuse margin, shining brownish black, ± 1 mm diam.
More
A herb which can be erect or lying down. It can be 60-120 cm tall. The stems are angular. The plant often branches from the base upwards. The leaves are 1.5-4 cm long by 0.7-2 cm wide. The leaf stalk is 0.5-2.5 cm long. The side veins are prominent underneath. The flower cluster can be slightly branched at the base and at the top of the plant. Seed are 1 mm across and rather thick.
Home