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Annual herb with alternate branches and leaves. Leaves entire. Flowers small, in long-pedunculate axillary spike-like bracteate racemes, each bract subtending a sessile or subsessile partial inflorescence consisting of a central fertile flower and 2 highly modified sterile unibracteolate lateral flowers. Perianth-segments (4–)5, the outer pair firm, nervose, mucronate, opposite and sheathing the remaining flower parts, the inner segments much more delicate and hyaline. Stamens (4–)5, free or very narrowly monadelphous at the base, without intermediate pseudostaminodes; filaments filiform; anthers bilocular. Ovary with a single ovule lateral on a curved funicle, radicle descending; style filiform; stigmas 2, divergent. Fruit a hard indehiscent nutlet enclosed by the persistent perianth and falling together with the sterile flowers and bracteoles. Endosperm copious.
