A short-lived herbaceous plant with spreading upright stems, growing up to 18 inches tall. Its slender stems contain a milky sap and are mostly hairless. The central stalk has many branches, each with a crown of terminal flowers/fruit.
Plants erect. Some of the leaves more than 1/2 inch long, opposite, usually unsymetric at the base. Stipules not united into a glabrous, membranaceous scale. Capsules less than 1/8 inch long. Seeds with definite, regular, tranverse ridges.
Habitat
Plant is most commonly found in sandy desert washes and canyons and along streambeds. It can also be a weed in agricultural areas.
Flower Characteristics
The flowers are tiny and have a 3-angled green ovary and 4 petal-like lobes. Flowers open white and age to reddish-pink color. Flowers are arranged into loose clusters in the upper leaf forks or at the tips of the branches. Flowers are 1/16 inch wide.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Elliptical leaves have finely toothed margins and short petioles. Leaves are light or dark green, sometimes with reddish or purplish markings. The stems are green, reddish or yellowish in color and hairless or slightly hairy.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
A three-lobed seed capsule grows out of the center of each flower and is green with a red blush.
Tiny seeds are four-sided or ovoid in shape with slightly wrinkled surfaces.