Glabrous, glaucous, prostrate or procumbent rarely erect perennial herb with numerous, often simple densely leafy stems arising from a woody stock. Petioles 0.5-2 (-4) mm. Leaf-blades elliptic-ovate to suborbicular, 2-10 (-12) x 1.5-6 (-8) mm, rounded, obtuse or subacute, entire or almost so, lateral nerves 3 pairs, not always clearly visible. Stipules suborbicular, ovate or lanceolate in outline, 0.5-1 mm long, usually fimbriate at least at the base, subpeltate, white, rarely pink-tinged, usually with a small or large purple blotch at the base. Flowers usually fascicled with 1 ♀ & 2 ♂ flowers per fascicle. Male flowers: pedicels 1 mm long; sepals obovate-rhomboid, 1.3 mm long, yellow-green with a hyaline margin; petals oblanceolate, 1 mm long, white; disc-glands smooth, bibbed; anthers 4-lobed, yellow; pistillode minute. Female flowers;: pedicels 2-3 mm long; sepals obovate, 2 mm long, dark green with a whitish margin, slightly accrescent; petals minute; disc-glands as in ♂ fls.; ovary subglobose, 1 mm diem.; styles bipartite, 0.5 mm long. Fruit depressed-subglobose, 2-4 mm diam., ± smooth, glabrous. Seeds 1.5-2 mm, smooth, dull, pale yellowish-brown.

Fl. & Fr. Per.: (February -) March-July (- September).

Holotype: Described from Italy, Greece, S. Turkey and N. Iraq, Herb. Linn. No. 1155.1 (LINN.).

Distribution: From the Cape Verde Is. and Spain eastwards through the Medi-terranean Region and the Middle East to Pakistan and the Pamir-Alai and south to Somalia and Abd-al-Kuri. Common in open stony ground, on sandy plains, In sandy clay soil and as a weed of cultivation; (330-) 1000-1830 m. (1100-6000').