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Plants annual. Stems erect, simple or branched, (6-)20-30(-60) cm; internodes glabrous or midstem ones slightly scabrous. Leaves: sheath 1-2 mm, ± as long as wide; blade 3-veined, linear to linear-lanceolate, 10-30 mm, margins serrate-scabrous. Inflorescences capitate; inflorescence bracts and involucel bracteoles enclosing flowers, broadly ovate, brown-scarious, apex obtuse or of outer bracts mucronate. Pedicels 0.1-1.5 mm. Flowers: sepals (7-)10-12 mm; petals pink to slightly purplish (rarely white), primary veins 1, veins not darkly colored near base of blade, apex truncate or emarginate. Seeds shield-shaped, 1.1-1.6(-1.8) mm, fine to coarsely reticulate. 2n = 30 (Europe).
Annual or biennial. Stems erect, glabrous or with short eglandular hairs, (5)-10-40-(50) cm tall. Basal lvs tufted, linear-oblanceolate, subacute, 20-50 × 1-4 mm; margins scabrid; base sheathing; sheaths 1-(2)× as long as broad. Cauline lvs erect, linear, acute, glabrous or scabrid on margins; uppermost pairs becoming mucronate, scarious. Fls (1)-3-6, enclosed in an epicalyx of papery scarious mucronate to obtuse scales. Pedicels 2-3 mm long. Calyx 9-12 mm long; teeth short, obtuse. Petals pink to purple, clawed, retuse to shallowly emarginate. Capsule < calyx. Seeds ovoid, flattened, black, finely and closely ridged, 1.3-1.7 mm long.
Erect or sprawling annual to 50 cm. Leaves opposite, linear-oblanceolate, sometimes roughly hairy. Flowers in terminal heads subtended by large papery bracts, pink or purple, calyx papery, ± 10 mm long, petals bifid.
