Ground hugging annual; branched from a central point; leaves and stems generally hairy, usually with long hairs at nodes, milky sap; oval leaves, flower clusters without petal-like appendages.
Leaves opposite, widest below the middle, hairy, taper towards tip, toothed especially towards tip; seeds wrinkled, fruit capsules <1/16 inch (2mm), not hairy; stipules not united into a membranous scale; with or without white petal-like appendages.
Habitat
Juniper-oak woodlands, temperate deciduous forests, grasslands, pine forests, oak forests with sycamores, walnuts and alders, often in disturbed areas.
Flower Characteristics
Separate male (5 to 15 flowers), female (1 flower) cup-like structures (cyathia) on the same plant, clusters <1/8 inch, solitary or in leafy clusters on upper most stems; glands red to reddish-green, petal-like appendages absent or white.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Lance-shaped, margins toothed, to 3/4 inch long, usually half to 2/3 as wide, very short-stemmed, may have dark reddish blotch in the middle. Leaves may be hairy, stems hairy; stipules (leaf-like appendages at leaf bases) triangular.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Less than 1/16 inch long, not hairy.
Gray, black or brown, wrinkled to smooth, sharply angled.