Herbs, annual, (5-)10-20(-25) cm tall, glaucous. Root fibrous, thin and undivided, up to 15 cm × 1.5-2 mm. Stems single, thin and slender, half as long as plant, usually purplish toward base, light gray or gray-brown, glabrous. Stem-leaves alternate, deciduous; stipules absent; petiole absent; leaf blade linear-lanceolate, 1-2 × (0.05-)0.1-0.2 cm, base attenuate, margin entire, apex acuminate to often obtuse. Inflorescence a large terminal pseudumbel; primary involucral leaves 2 or 3, similar to normal leaves but larger and persistent; cyathophylls 2, same as normal leaves, to 2.7 cm. Cyathium sessile; involucre narrowly campanulate, ca. 1.5 × (0.7-)1-1.5 mm, lobes ovate, lacerate; glabrous; glands 4, crescent-shaped, 2-horned, horns short. Male flowers many, not exserted from involucre. Female flower: ovary pedicel ca. 3 mm, exserted from cup; ovary smooth, glabrous; styles free; style arms 2-lobed. Capsule ovoid-globose, 2-3(-3.5) × 2-3 mm, 3-furrowed, almost smooth, very faintly reticulate, glabrous. Seeds 6-sided-cylindric, 1.2-1.5 × ca. 1 mm, ash-gray, transversely rugose; caruncle scalelike, peltate, obviously stipitate. Fl. and fr. Apr-Jun.
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