Annual or short-lived perennial; sometimes turning woody with age; without tubers or stolons.
Fruits are not enclosed by the calyx(sepals); calyx lobes partially united; whitish corolla up to 5/16 inch wide; herbage with some or no hairs, not sticky; leaf blades with mostly smooth margins, some may be toothed.
Habitat
Agricultural areas, waste places and riparian areas.
Flower Characteristics
Small; 5 narrow, point-tipped, often reflexed lobes and a beak of yellow stamens. Blooms sporadically throughout the year whenever conditions are right.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves green above and below; oval in shape; stemmed; either smooth-edged or edged with large, rounded teeth. Stems are cylindrical or slightly tapered to angled, sometimes with small, curved teeth on the angles.
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Round, green or orange-brown berries that ripen to a shiny black; not quite globe or ball-shaped; less than 1/4 inch wide.
Minutely pitted, less than 1/16 inch wide