Plants with few stems, stout, succulent-coriaceous. Stems ascending to weakly erect, simple or few-branched, 15-50 cm × 3-6 mm, internodes of main stem 10-55 mm. Leaves: main stem leaves evenly spaced, of similar size on all stems; blade lanceolate to ovate, 12-28 × 7-15 mm, apex acuminate. Pedicels 2-3 mm. Flowers: sepals ovate, 4-7 mm, apex obtuse to acute. Capsules 5-8 × 5-10 mm, fleshy. Seeds dark reddish brown, 2-4 mm, dull.

Flowering late spring-summer. Sea beaches, sandy flats, and dunes above high tide; 0-10 m; N.B., Nfld. and Labr.(Nfld.), N.S., P.E.I., Que.; Conn., Maine, Md., Mass., N.H., N.J., N.Y.

Subspecies robusta is possibly extirpated from Delaware and Virginia and now listed as rare/endangered in Maryland and New Jersey.