Herbs monoecious. Stems 5-30(-60) cm tall, succulent, swollen above nodes, glabrous. Leaves opposite or subwhorled; stipules almost persistent, light green, oblong, 3-5 mm, membranous; petiole 0.5-2(-5) cm; leaf blade abaxially pale green, rhombic-ovate or ovate, rarely triangular-ovate or lanceolate, slightly asymmetric, unequal in size, 1-6(-10) × 0.8-3(-5) cm, 3-veined, lateral veins 2-3(-5) each side, both surfaces sparsely puberulent, base cuneate, rarely rounded or subtruncate, margin crenate-serrate or dentate, apex often acute, rarely obtuse or shortly acuminate. Inflorescences sometimes of mixed sexes; male inflorescence often a capitulum, 1-1.5 cm; pedunculate, female inflorescence long pedunculate, 1-3(-5) cm, subglabrous. Male flowers pedicellate, in bud ca. 1 mm in diam.; stamens 5; rudimentary ovary minute, narrowly conic. Female perianth lobes oblong-lanceolate; staminodes scale-like, oblong-lanceolate. Achene ovoid, 1-1.4 mm, slightly compressed, verrucose, enclosed by perianth lobes subequal to achene. Fl. Jul-Sep, fr. Aug-Nov.
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