Herbs, annual or perennial, sprawling to ascending, 2-6 dm, branching from densely scaly base. Leaves mostly alternate, shortly petiolate; blade narrow to broadly rhomboid, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, (8-)12-35(-42) × 6-16 mm, thin, margin coarsely and irregularly dentate, glabrescent adaxially, somewhat scurfy abaxially. Staminate flowers in subterminal, axillary glomerules. Pistillate flowers in axillary glomerules. Fruiting bracteoles sessile or on the stipe to 0.5 mm, rhombic to obovate, almost flat to convex, 2.2-4 × 1.7-2.7 mm, thin or somewhat thickened in age, connate in basal ¹/2, margin entire in basal ¹/2, 2-4-toothed in distal ¹/2, apex acute, scurfy. Seeds circular. 2n = 18.

Flowering summer-fall. Disturbed places, with other ruderal weeds; 10-900 m; introduced; Calif., Utah; Australia; naturalized South Africa.