Herbs, annual, monoecious, 1–5 dm; branching phyllanthoid. Stems: main stems angled, not winged, glabrous; ultimate branchlets compressed, winged, hirsutulous. Leaves on main stems spiral, scalelike; stipules auriculate, pale green. Leaves on ultimate branchlets distichous, well developed; stipules auriculate, pale green; blade usually oblong or oblong-obovate, sometimes linear, 6–25 × 2–9 mm, base obtuse, apex acute to obtuse and mucronulate, abaxial surface hispidulous near margins, adaxial surface glabrous, margins hispidulous. Inflorescences cymules or flowers solitary, unisexual, proximal with 1 pistillate flower, distal with 5–7 staminate flowers. Pedicels: staminate 0.1–0.2 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, 0.3–0.5 mm. Staminate flowers: sepals 6, white, flat, 0.3–0.5 mm; nectary extrastaminal, 6 glands; stamens 3, filaments connate throughout. Pistillate flowers: sepals 6, yellowish green, sometimes suffused with red, flat, 0.6–0.9 mm, 1-veined; nectary annular, unlobed. Capsules 2–2.2 mm diam., ± tuberculate. Seeds uniformly brown, 1.1–1.2 mm, transversely ribbed, often with 1–3 lateral pits. 2n = 52 (West Indies).
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