Glabrous annual, usually erect, 1-4 dm, with many ascending branches in 2 ranks; lvs 2-ranked on the stems, subsessile, oblong-obovate, 1-2 cm, entire, rounded above; fls 2-4 in the axils of the lvs, one staminate, 1-3 pistillate, 1-2 mm wide, on pedicels 0.5 mm; sep oblong-spatulate, usually 6; stamens 3, on very short filaments; capsule subglobose, 1.5-2 mm thick; seeds sharply angled, 1 mm; 2n=36. Moist, usually sandy soil, low woods, and meadows; Pa. to Ill. and Mo., s. to trop. Amer. July-Sept. Ours is var. caroliniensis.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

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