Perennial to 1 m from a stoloniferous base, commonly much branched above, glabrous or ± pubescent; lvs lanceolate to linear, the larger commonly 5–10 cm, tapering to the base, those subtending the fls much smaller, fls tetramerous, subsessile, separated by distinct internodes; pet none; fr subglobose, finely pubescent, 2.5–4 mm, not angled; bracteoles attached at the base of or below the fr, very rarely half as long as the fr, often minute or obsolete; 2n=32. Swamps and wet soil; Mass. to Fla. and Tex.; also in Ind. and Mich. July–Sept. Variable, and often divided into several vars.