Herbs, annual; taproot slender. Stems arising directly from the root, prostrate to ascending, solid, not fistulose or disarticulating into ringlike segments, thinly pubescent. Leaves quickly deciduous, basal, rosulate; petiole present; blade linear, margins entire, hirsute. Peduncles absent. Inflorescences terminal, cymose, often uniparous due to suppression of secondaries; branches dichotomous, brittle and disarticulating into segments, round, thinly pubescent; bracts 2, opposite, connate proximally, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, mucronate or awned, thinly pubescent. Involucral bracts obvious, in 1 whorl of 3, linear to broadly lanceolate, awn-tipped. Flowers 1 per involucral cluster; perianth light green to greenish white, cylindric, thinly pubescent abaxially; tepals 5, connate 1/ 3/ 4 their length, slightly dimorphic, coriaceous, acute and awn-tipped apically; stamens 3; filaments basally adnate, glabrous; anthers cream to white, oval. Achenes mostly included, brownish, not winged, lenticular to slightly 3-gonous, glabrous. Seeds: embryo straight. x = 20.