More or less decumbent annual herb rooting at lower nodes and forming patches up to several decimeters across. Stems glab., sparingly branched. Lvs distant, membr. to slightly fleshy, ovate to elliptic, acuminate, base cuneate, lamina 4-13 × 4-10 mm., petioles up to 3 mm. long, winged, us. with some marginal multicellular hairs. Fls in reduced, us. 2-fld axillary infl., the compound peduncle > or < length of lf- lamina. Sepals 5, (4)-5-(8) mm. long, glab., broad with very narrow pale border if any; petals 5 or 0, shorter than sepals, deeply divided into two narrow lobes; stamens 5-10; styles 3, capsule thin-walled, rarely more than a third longer than sepals, splitting into 6 valves; seeds c.1 mm., minutely papillose, some rows of papillae near keel sharp-pointed and translucent, brown.

2n = 90

Slender annual to perennial herb. Stems prostrate, ascending, terete, glabrous, 5-10-(40) cm long. Lvs yellowish green; marginal vein distinct; lamina glabrous, sometimes ± fleshy, ovate, rarely lanceolate (narrow-lanceolate in ), apiculate to acuminate, cuneate to truncate at base, (3)-5-10-(20) × (1)-4-8-(16) mm; petiole < or = lamina, glabrous or ciliate. Infl. 1-(2)-flowered. Bracts scarious, lanceolate to ovate, c. 1 mm long. Pedicels ascending, to 15 mm. Sepals narrow-lanceolate, acute, 2-3 mm long, not veined or faintly 1-3-veined, glabrous or sparsely ciliate near base; margin scarious. Petals much < sepals or 0. Stamens 5-10. Capsule ovoid, = or slightly > calyx. Seeds dark reddish brown, c. 1 mm long; papillae finger-like, longer than broad.