Stems 5-20 cm. Inflorescences 3-8-flowered. Flowers 1.2-1.8 mm, hairs of 2 sizes, long hairs 2- 3 as long as sepals, short hairs 1/ 1/ 3 as long as sepals, tips of some or all hooked or tightly coiled; hypanthium area pubescent, tips of hairs hooked or tightly coiled; sepals in fruit ± unequal, of 2 lengths; stamens 2-3; styles distinct, 0.2-0.4 mm. Seeds 0.5-0.6 mm. 2n = 36 (Europe).

Flowering spring-fall. Disturbed areas, alkaline hills, clay flats; 40-800 m; introduced; Ariz., Calif., Md., Oreg.; s Europe; sw Asia; n Africa.

Historical collections of var. cinerea are known from New York (1890s) and Wisconsin (1870). It was also collected once in Washington in 1979 (C. T. Roché 1991) but did not persist.