Subshrubs, dioecous or sparingly to commonly monoecious, clump forming, mostly 1.5-4.5 × 1.5-7 dm. Stems decumbent. Leaves tardily deciduous, alternate, sessile; blade linear-oblanceolate to spatulate, 15-50 × 2-6 mm, 5-10 times longer than wide. Staminate flowers tan to dark brown (sometimes yellow), in glomerules 3-4 mm thick, in terminal panicles 4-8 cm. Pistillate flowers in spikes or panicles 8-30 cm, sometimes with short branches. Fruiting bracteoles sessile or on stipes to 6 mm, body lanceolate, 3-8 × 2-5 mm, tapering to acuminate apex, tip 0.5-5 mm, teeth united ¹/2 of length, lacking lateral teeth, with tubercles or not. Seeds 1-1.5 mm broad. 2n = 18, 36.

Flowering summer-fall. Sagebrush, shadscale, and greasewood communities in fine-textured saline substrates; 1300-2000 m; Calif., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.