Erect annual 1-5 dm, with numerous slender, usually opposite branches; lvs appressed, scale-like, 1-4 mm; fls subsessile, chiefly solitary in the axils; sep lance-linear, 1.5-2.5 mm; pet 2-4 mm; stamens mostly 5-10; styles 3, 1 mm; fr slender-conic, 4-7 mm; seeds 0.4-0.8 mm, pale brown, obscurely areolate; 2n=24. Sterile, especially sandy soil; Me. to Ont. and Minn., s. to Fla. and Tex. June-Sept. (Sarothra g.)
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.