Description:

Habit: Annual plant with a short vegetative phase, inflorescence 15 to 60 cm high, decumbent or semi-erect. Branches subopposite from the base. Stems green, usually veins red striated. Leaves: Glabrous and entire, green, sometimes with little pigmentation, lower leaves 6 to 35 cm long, obovate, occasionally fleshy. Lower bracts up to 15 cm long, petiolate, ovate or obovate. Bracts decreasing in size towards the apex, but often 3 or 5 times longer than the glomerule diameter. Upper bracts narrowly obovate or lanceolate. containing (2)-3-(7) flowers, spaced on the inflorescence stem, not apically packed. Perianth segments spongy, usually triangular from a broad base, sometimes narrow oblong and strongly keeled. Towards maturity of the fruit the tepals either patent and not contiguous to the operculum, or tepals connivent and appressed to the operculum. The center of the operculum depressed, as the margins of the operculum rise up at maturity of the fruit. Contrasting with the elevated operculum margins is the deep groove around the operculum.

Distribution:
 

(1) Provided by Federal Centre for Breeding Research, Quedlinburg, Germany, Dr. L. Frese.