Herbs, perennial, to 8 dm. Rhizomes short- creeping or densely branching, if densely branching herb appearing cespitose. Cataphylls 1--3. Leaves basal and cauline, 1--2; auricles 0.3--0.5 mm, scarious to membranous; blade flat to slightly channeled, 5--35 cm x 0.8--2 mm, margins entire. Inflorescences 5--60-flowered, lax, loose to moderately congested, 1.5--8 cm; primary bract usually exceeding inflorescence. Flowers: bracteoles 2; tepals brownish, ovate to oblong, 1.7--2.7 mm; inner and outer series nearly equal, apex obtuse; stamens 6, filaments 0.5--0.7 mm, anthers 0.6--1 mm; style 0.3 mm. Capsules brown or darker, pseudo-3-locular, widely ellipsoid to obovoid, 2.5--3.5 x 1.4--1.8 mm, exceeding tepals. Seeds light brown, ellipsoid to lunate, 0.35--0.556 mm, not tailed. 2n = 44. Flowering and fruiting late spring--early summer. Disturbed ground, especially ditches, along railroads and banks of canals and roadsides; frequently in saline or alkaline soils; 1500--2100 m; introduced; Man., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.S., Ont., Que.; Colo., Maine, Md., Mich., Minn., Mont., Nebr., N.Y., N.Dak., Utah, Wis., Wyo.; Europe; w Asia.