Plants annual; taproot slender. Stems decumbent, much-branch-ed, 4-sided, 15-70 cm, softly glan-dular-pubescent. Leaves petiolate (proximal) or sessile (distal), flaccid; blade ovate to deltate, 1-4.5 cm × 6-28 mm, base cordate, truncate, or rarely abruptly rounded, margins entire, apex acuminate, glabrous, rarely ciliate on margins. Inflorescences terminal, (3-)5-35-flowered cymes; bracts sessile, foliaceous, lanceolate to ovate, 3-30 mm, distally reduced. Pedicels ascending to spreading, sometimes deflexed in fruit, slender, 5-20(-30) mm, softly glandular. Flowers 3-8 mm diam.; sepals 5, with prominent midrib, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 4-5 mm, to 8 mm in fruit, margins narrow, scarious, apex acuminate, blunt, pubescent on midrib, ± ciliate on margins; petals 4-5, 2-8 mm, shorter than to 2 times as long as sepals, blade apex deeply emarginate with 2 narrow lobes; stamens 3-8; styles 3, ascending, outwardly curved, 1.5-3 mm. Capsules green, transparent, ovoid, 4-6 mm, ± equaling sepals, apex obtuse, opening by 6 valves, recurved at tip; carpophore absent. Seeds reddish brown, round, 1-1.2 mm diam., covered with prominent, stalked glands. 2n = 26, 52.
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A herb. It has a slender taproot. The stems lie long the ground and are much branched and 4 sided. They grow 15-70 cm long. The leaves are broadly oval or D shaped and 1-4.5 cm long by 6-28 mm wide. The flowers are in groups of 5-35 at the ends of branches.
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