herbaceous, annual; stems sparingly branched from the base, up to 1 1/2 ft. high, somewhat sulcate, pubescent with short simple reflexed hairs often mixed with larger gland-tipped spreading hairs; leaves membranous, long-petioled, ovate- or rhomboid-elliptic, obtuse or subacute, base cuneate, margin crenate, 1–2 1/2 in. long, 1/2–1 1/2 in. wide, setulose-pubescent on the nerves and veins on both surfaces; petiole pubescent, 1/2–2 in. long; stipules subulate, 1/10 in. long, pilose, caducous; inflorescence 2-sexual, axillary; spikes usually several to an axil, short, about 3/4 in. long, more or less aggregated in clusters towards the ends of the branches, each with 4–10 fairly close-set female flowers below, very few male flowers above and 1–3 densely muricate abortive female flowers at the apex; rhachis pubescent; male bracts very minute; male buds almost glabrous; female bracts leafy, suborbicular or nearly reniform, margin 8–10-toothed, about 1/8 in. long, 1/6 in. wide, pubescent externally, nearly glabrous within, but with several long gland-tipped hairs near the margins of the teeth on the inner and sometimes also on the outer aspect; sepals 3, ovate-lanceolate, acute, ciliate; ovary 3-lobed, setose-pubescent and also beset with long gland-tipped hairs on the upper two-thirds; styles 3, free almost from the base, very slender, rather short; seeds ovoid-ellipsoid, minutely pitted. null
