Annual, more or less pilose and glandular herb, very plastic, sometimes with rather compact habit but usually with spreading and ascending branches; stems 2–42 cm. long.. Leaves sessile, the lower spathulate, the upper ovate, ovate-oblong, or elliptic, subacute and apiculate or very shortly acuminate, very variable in size, 3–25 mm. long, 1–10 mm. broad, commonly pilose on both surfaces but variable in density of hairs.. Inflorescences terminal, with 1–59 flowers; bracts foliaceous, not scariose.. Flowers tetramerous or pentamerous.. Sepals pilose and glandular or glabrescent, scariose at the margins, 4–7 mm. long.. Petals equal in length to or shorter than the sepals, white, rarely absent.. Stamens 8–10.. Capsules subcylindrical, somewhat incurved, 4–13 mm. long, projecting beyond the persistent calyx when mature.. Fig. 9.
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