Stems usually purplish red, stout, 5-30 cm. Leaves: petiole 0.5-4 cm; blade 1-3 × 0.5-2 cm, slightly fleshy, margins with short, triangular, acute teeth, glabrate or sparsely scurfy abaxially when young. Staminate flowers subglobose or obovate; perianth slightly compressed, segments distinct, 0.8-1 mm wide; lateral 2 somewhat fleshy, apically cucullate; dorsoventral 2 plane, membranous; stamens 4; filaments inserted on base of perianth segments; anthers 0.2 mm. Pistillate flowers similar to staminate when immature, slightly compressed, ovoid, somewhat fleshy; ovary ovoid, 0.5 mm; stigmas usually exserted from perianth, 0.3 mm. Bracteoles enlarged in fruit, winged, triangular-ovate or rhombic-ovate, 5-6 mm; wings 6, longitudinal, narrow, margins crenate-denticulate. Utricles compressed. Seeds 3 mm. 2n = 18.

Flowering and fruiting Jul-Sep. Dry lake bottoms, agricultural fields, valleys, along creeks and ditches; 100-2500 m; Alta.; Colo., Mont., N.Mex., Tex., Wyo.