A monœcious herb; stems rising erect from a decumbent rooting base which sends out slender rooting suckers, simple or sometimes slightly branched, somewhat succulent, 6 in. to 1 ft. high, 1–1 1/2 lin. thick, surface rough with crowded linear cystoliths, somewhat hispidulous in the younger portion. Leaves crowded on the upper third of the stem, a few small ones at the lower nodes, stiffly membranous when dry, sessile or very shortly stalked, obliquely obovate-lanceolate, apex abruptly acuminate, base cuneate, slightly unequal, entire, margin crenate-serrate above the base, teeth mucronate, 2–3 1/2 in. long, 7–14 lin. wide, lateral nerves 4–6 on each side, the two lowest springing from the midrib above the base, that on the narrow side appreciably higher, about 1/4 in. from the base, and reaching to about the middle of the leaf; upper face glabrous, densely covered with linear white cystoliths and punctulate, lower face sparsely hispidulous on the somewhat prominent veins, cystoliths sparse. Stipules persistent, lanceolate, acuminate, 2–3 lin. long, apex sometimes 2-fid. Male inflorescence on a slender stalk 1/2– 2/3 in. long; cyme broadly 2-lobed, 2–4 lin. in greatest diam.; involucral bracts broadly ovate, acute or shortly acuminate, ciliolate, marked on the back with numerous linear cystoliths, 1 1/2–2 lin. long, inner bracts becoming narrower to spathulate, pilosulose; perianth deeply 4-partite, segments about 1 1/4 lin. long, bearing an erect dorsal mucro 1/2– 3/4 lin. long; stamens attached above the base. Female cymes sessile, smaller than the male in the flowering stage; involucral bracts bluntly and broadly oblong, 3/5 lin. long; inner bracts and bracteoles linear, green and ciliate above, hyaline below, about 1 lin. long. Flowers shortly stalked; perianth divided to the base into 3 delicate lanceolate shortly fimbriated segments, nearly as long as the ovary. Ovary less than 1/4 lin. long; stigma a dense tuft of hairs which exceed the ovary in length. Achene not seen.