Plant: Annual or perennial forb to 1 m with stout taproot

Leaves: alternate, elliptic-lanceolate, narrow, with widely-spaced teeth

Flowers: inflorescence a spikelike raceme, erect, slender, many-flowered 20-30 cm long; ovary inferior; flowers small, petals 4-6 mm long; pale to bright pinkish; filaments and style exerted

Fruit: fruits hard, woody, indehiscent, nutlike, widest near the base.