Herbs, annual, with taproot. Stems usually prostrate, occasionally ascending, 5–30 cm, glabrous. Leaves opposite; stipules usually distinct, occasionally connate basally (distal portion of stem), triangular-subulate, entire or divided, 0.8–1.5 mm, glabrous; petiole 1–3 mm, glabrous; blade oblong, linear-oblong, or linear-lanceolate, 5–16 × 2–4 mm, base slightly asymmetric, obtuse or subcordate, margins entire, apex obtuse, often mucronulate, surfaces uniformly green or reddish tinged, glabrous; venation obscure. Cyathia solitary or in small, cymose clusters at distal nodes; peduncle 0.5–5 mm. Involucre obconic-campanulate, 1.2–1.7 × 1–1.4 mm, glabrous; glands 4, occasionally rudimentary, green-yellow to tan or orange-tinged, occasionally shortly stipitate, usually broadly oval to subcircular, sometimes figure eight-shaped, shallowly cupped, 0.1–0.3 × 0.2–0.4 mm; appendages absent or rudimentary. Staminate flowers 5–14. Pistillate flowers: ovary glabrous; styles 0.7–1 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length. Capsules broadly ovoid, 3–3.5(–4) × (2–)2.4–3 mm, glabrous; columella 2–3 mm. Seeds ashy white, wedge-shaped to slightly ovoid, weakly dorsiventrally compressed and elliptic-terete to bluntly subangled in cross section, back strongly rounded, face slightly rounded, (2–)2.2–2.8 × 1.6–1.9 mm, smooth or minutely pitted, with smooth brown line from top to bottom on adaxial side.
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Prostrate, usually divergently branched or forming mats, glabrous throughout; lvs opposite, linear-oblong to lance-oblong, mostly 8–15 mm, entire, slightly inequilateral at base; appendages very small or none; fr 3–3.5 mm; seeds plump, smooth, compressed-ovoid, gray, 2–2.6 mm. Sand dunes and sandy beaches of the Atlantic from Que. to Ga., and of the Great Lakes, probably excluding Lake Superior. July–Oct. (Chamaesyce p.)
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