General: Annual herb from fibrous roots; stems erect or sprawling, 2-45 cm tall.
Leaves: Located on the lower part of the stem, nearly circular in cross-section, lacking cross-walls.
Flowers: Inflorescence terminal, open, commonly much branched, long, forming about 1/2 to 3/4 of the plant height, with many single flowers; perianth segments green, 2.5-6 mm long, pointed, about equal; stamens 6; anthers 0.5-1 mm long, shorter than the filaments; lower bract leaflike, nearly circular in cross-section, tapered, usually shorter than the inflorescence.
Fruits: Capsules, cylindrical to nearly globe-shaped, pointed, shorter than the perianth segments; seeds barrel-like, about 0.4 mm long, lacking tail-like appendages.
Notes: Variable species with a large number of chromosomal races. Several taxa within this complex have been described and treated as distinct species or varieties.
Wet open places, disturbed sites, fields, gardens, roadsides, lakeshores, riverbanks and forest margins in all vegetation zones except the alpine; common throughout BC; cosmopolitan, N to AK, YT and NT, E to NF and S to ME, MA, PA, NC, FL, MS, TX, NM, AZ and CA; Eurasia; apparently both native and introduced in our area.
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range. (Updated August, 2013)
