Japan flora: Erect glabrous much-branched annual; stems 10-50 cm. long, 4-angled; leaves membranous, oblanceolate to linear, 5-50 mm. long, 1-10 mm. wide, narrowed at both ends, entire; flowers few, in dense axillary fascicles, the pedicels 0.2-1.5 mm. long, gla¬brous; calyx 1-2 mm. long, the lobes 0.5-0.7 mm. long; petals absent; stamens 4, the anthers subglobose; styles 0.3-0.5 mm. long; capsules globose, 1-1.5 mm. across, slightly exserted from the calyx. Paddy fields;

Honshu (Nagato Prov.); introduced. Africa, se. Asia, Europe, and Australia.