Perennial herb 20–30(–45) cm tall, erect or ascending; stems 4-ribbed, glabrous, or with curved 1- or 2-celled hairs, sometimes rooting at lower nodes. Leaves mostly alternate, linear to linear-lanceolate, 10–30(–50) mm long, 2–4(–8) mm wide, pale to dull green, glabrous or scabrous, sessile, margins entire or coarsely toothed in distal half of leaf; bracts lanceolate, 5–8(–15) mm long, entire, green; bracteoles lanceolate, (1–)2–3 mm long, entire, yellow-brown. Inflorescence 1–7-flowered; pedicels to c. 0.5 mm long; sepals 4, green, triangular, 0.8–1 mm long; petals 4 green to red, 2.4–3 mm long; stamens 8; ovary 4-celled, turbinate, 0.6–1 mm long, glabrous or scabrous, weakly 4-ribbed, styles 4,stigma pink or red. Fruit ± ovoid, 1–3 per axil, mostly 2–3 mm long and wide, 4-ribbed or -winged between sepals, variously ornamented.
