Japan Flora: Glabrous annual; stems decumbent or ascending, spreading, much branched, 10-30 cm. long; leaves alternate, green, fleshy, linear-terete, spine-pointed, 1-2.5 cm. long; flowers solitary in axils, sessile, the bracteoles 2, narrowly ovate, 4-5 mm. long; tepals 5, cartilaginous in fruit, in saline soils and along seashores, especially abundant in transversely ridged on back, inflexed in upper portion; fruit depressed-obconical, about 2 mm. across; seeds as large as the fruit, the testa white, membranous, easily separable. July-Oct. Sandy places along sea beaches;

Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu. Korea, Manchuria, n. China, and e. Siberia.