General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems sprawling to erect, simple or branched, solitary, hairy, 15-60 cm tall/long.

Leaves:
Basal leaves few, reduced, soon deciduous; stem leaves narrowly egg-shaped to elliptic, 1-9 cm long, slender-stalked, entire.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of small axillary clusters from midstem to stem tip; corollas lacking; calyces dark reddish brown, erect, 1.5-2 mm long, 4-lobed, the lobes abruptly pointed; involucral bracts 3-4, 2-4 mm long, subtending the calyces.

Fruits:
Achenes, brownish, smooth, shining, about 1 mm long.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Parietaria obtusa Rydb. ex Small
Parietaria occidentalis Rydb.
Parietaria pensylvanica var. obtusa (Rydb. ex Small) Shinners