Annual, erect, herbaceous, 30-80 cm high with many spreading or ascending, angular, finely pubescent, branches; leaves thin, ovate or rhomboid, crenate-serrate in upper half, entire or cuneate at base, 3 nerved, arranged in mosaic phyllotaxy, petioles slender, usually longer than the blade; stipules minute. flowers in axillary, elongate, slender spikes, nearly as long as petiole; male flowers few, minute, clustered towards the tip; bracts many, distant, larger, broad, 3-5 flowered, truncate, much larger than the capsule; tepals minute, connate; stamens 8, on a convex receptacle, filaments free; female flowers 3-5 together in the axil of bracts in proximal part of spike; bracts 5-7 mm; tepals 3, ovate, minute, connate at base; ovary hispid, style slender with many branches; fruit capsule of 3 minute, hispid, crustaceous cocci, concealed by the bract; capsule of 3-minute, 2-valved, crustaceous cocci; seeds sub-globose, minute, smooth, pale brown.