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Herbs or subshrubs , 1-16 dm. Leaves opposite or nearly opposite, rarely alternate. Leaf blades elliptic, lanceolate to broadly ovate, 5-18 × 2-10 cm, almost glabrous on both surfaces or abaxially densely short-pilose or puberulent, adaxially scabrous. Inflorescences spikelike, often leafy at apex. Flowers in remote or crowded clusters of 1-few staminate and several pistillate flowers or rarely staminate and pistillate flowers on different plants. Achenes ovoid to nearly orbicular, 0.9-1.6 × 0.9-1.2 mm, almost glabrous or pubescent with straight and hooked hairs; seeds prominent, conspicuous in outline, surrounded except at base by corky tissue. 2 n = 28.
Erect herb up to 1.5 m. high, the stem simple or branched; leaves opposite on the stem, alternate on the branches, narrowly lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate, or ovate, up to 18 cm. long and 7 cm. wide, acuminate at apex, rounded, subcordate, or subtruncate at base, coarsely dentate or serrate-dentate, glabrous, or puberulent beneath on the nerves; flower-clusters sessile in an erect or ascending spike which often is leafy toward the tip; plants monoecious; staminate perianth 4-lobed; pistillate perianth rotund-obovate, 1.5-2 mm. long and broad, 4-toothed, com-pressed, nearly sessile.
Perennial, usually dioecious herb of nettle-like aspect, but without stinging hairs; stems erect, usually simple, 4–10 dm; lvs opposite, long-petioled, ovate to lance-ovate, acute or acuminate, coarsely serrate, 3-nerved; fls minute, in small, capitate clusters along an unbranched axis, forming interrupted or continuous spikes from the upper axils; fr ovate, minutely winged. Moist or wet soil; Que. and Ont. to Minn., s. to Fla. and N.M. July, Aug. (B. drummondiana, the sun-form, with smaller, firmer, more hairy lvs)
