Compact annual herb to c. 10 cm high, glabrous, more or less glaucous. Leaves alternate or opposite, sessile, narrow-obovate, 11–15 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, obtuse, margins flat or slightly recurved; stipules entire, membranous, 1.3–1.6 mm long. Inflorescences compact racemes, to c. 1 cm across; rachis barely elongating after anthesis; bracts narorow-obovate, 4–5 mm long. Pedicels c. 1 mm long. Sepals 5, obovate, 0.7–0.8 mm long, white (usually males) or pink (usually female); petals 5, oblanceolate, c. 0.3 mm long. Male flowers with 5 stamens, filaments free; female flowers with 3 deeply 2-partite styles. Capsule 1.5–1.8 mm diam., 3-lobed; seeds wedge-shaped, 0.7–1.2 mm long, smooth, white. Flowers mostly Sep.–Nov.