Soft decumbent annual herb up to 10 cm. or more long, rooting at lower nodes and forming small green patches. Stems glab., sparingly branched. Lvs distant, membr., broadly ovate, apiculate, base truncate, lamina 6-15 × 4-13 mm., petioles 2-9 mm., winged, occ. with multi- cellular hairs. Fls in axillary 2-fld infls; compound peduncle often exceeding If length. Sepals 5, c. 3 mm. long, glab., narrow-triangular, with pale scarious margins; petals 5, narrow, deeply cleft, shorter than sepals, or absent; stamens 5-10; styles 3, capsule thin-walled, much longer than sepals, splitting into 6 valves; seeds brown, flattened, 1 mm. long, tubercles low, elongated, in rows concentric with margin.

2n = 44, 44 + 2f

2n = 44

Slender annual or perennial herb. Stems prostrate, ascending, terete, glabrous, (5)-10-20-(50) cm long. Lvs green; marginal vein distinct; lamina glabrous, broadly ovate to orbicular, rarely lanceolate, apiculate, truncate at base, (3)-5-10-(20) × (3)-5-10-(20) mm; petiole < lamina, glabrous or ciliate. Infl. 1-(2)-flowered. Bracts scarious, ovate, c. 1 mm long. Pedicels ascending, to 15 mm. Sepals narrow-lanceolate, acute, 2-3-(3.5) mm long, not veined; margins scarious, glabrous. Petals much < sepals or 0. Stamens 5-10. Capsule ovoid, = or slightly > calyx. Seeds dull dark brown, 0.8-1.2 mm long; papillae low, rounded, broader than long.