Plant: Shrub, generally 0.5-2 m, dioecious; sap clear; stem: twigs sparsely short-strigose, becoming glabrous Leaves: simple, cauline, generally alternate, generally clustered on short, lateral twigs; blade 2-12 mm, oblanceolate to obovate, tip obtuse to rounded, margin entire INFLORESCENCE: Staminate inflorescence: cyme, axillary; flowers generally 1-5, generally clustered on short, lateral twigs; pedicel 3-5.5 mm, minutely bracted; Pistillate inflorescence axillary; flower 1 Flowers: Staminate flower: sepals 4-6, ± round; petals 0; stamens 4-8, filaments 1.5-2.5 mm, glabrous; nectary disk ± minutely lobed; Pistillate flower: pedicel 0.5-1(3) mm; sepals generally 5, 2-5 mm, ovate to deltate; petals 0; ovary densely and finely gray-tomentose, chambers generally 3, sometimes 2 or 4, style 1.5-2 mm, free, ± flattened, generally spreading Fruit: capsule, 8-12 mm, 6-10 mm wide, finely tomentose, ± spheric, generally lobed, generally brown; Seeds 1-2 per chamber, smooth, shiny; scar generally appendaged Misc: Rocky slopes, washes; < 1200 m.