herbaceous above, woody at the base, 4–9 in. high, with stout woody tap root; stems woody below, erect, with numerous erect branches arising from near the base, ribbed, angled, hirsute; male plants: leaves few, linear, acute, 3–6 lin. long, keeled, margins and keel hirsute-scabridulous; branches almost entirely floriferous; flowers arranged in more or less dense spikes; bracts elliptic- or ovate-lanceolate, acute, incurved, sharply keeled, prominently decurrent, 1 1/4–1 1/2 lin. long; bracteoles similar to the bracts, hirsute-scabridulous on keel and margins, both bracteoles and bracts longer than the flowers; flowers solitary or in 3-flowered cymules, sessile in bract-axils; perianth orange when dry, 5/8 lin. long; segments triangular-ovate, 3/8 lin. long; anthers about 1/10 lin. long; style rudiment present; female plants: leaves numerous, linear-lanceolate, acute, somewhat fleshy, sharply keeled, about 4 lin. long, margins infolded, densely hirsute on keel and margins; inflorescences 2–4 in. long, dense; bracts and bracteoles leaf-like, fleshy, keeled, incurved, 4–6 lin. long, keel and margins horny, densely hirsute-scabridulous, bracteoles with infolded margins, 1 1/2–3 lin. long; flowers solitary, rarely in 3-flowered cymules; perianth 3/8 lin. long; segments 1/4 lin. long, margins hooded, infolded; style 1/8– 1/6 lin. stout; stigma subtrilobed; fruit globose, about 1 lin. in diam., pitted between the prominent reticulations. null