Perennial or annual, 15-100 (-120) cm., glabrous, sometimes petioles, nodes, ochreae and main nerves rough-puberulent. Stems erect, much branched. Branches more or less ascending, striate. Leaves up to 12 (-18) cm., petiolate, more or less fleshy, ovate-oblong, sometimes lyrate, subcordate at base, obtuse to somewhat acute at apex, crispulate; the uppermost leaves and bracts short-petioled or subsessile, lanceolate to linear, acute. Panicles composed of flexuous, elongated, spreading branches; whorls many-flowered, usually remote, mostly subtended by leaves. Bracts leaf-like, the upper rather small. Pedicels jointed below middle or near base, somewhat shorter than valves, reflexed and becoming thickened. Flowers about 2 mm. Valves 4-7 x 3-5 mm., leathery, ovate to oblong, sometimes more or less triangular, obtuse or somewhat acute, reticulately veined, subspinescent with 2-8, up to 1 .5 mm. long teeth on either side of base; warts 2-3 x 1-2 mm., distinctly unequal, suborbicular-ovate to oblong-lanceolate, often wrinkled or somewhat verrucose. Achene 1.5-3 mm., trigonous, broadly ovoid, acute, brown. F1. March-June.