Annual, suberect to procumbent, 8-20 cm tall, profusely branched, glabrous herb. Stem and branches pale-green or purplish, minutely striate. Leaves succulent, simple, sessile, oblong-cylindric, 4-18 mm long, apex obtuse; stipules lanceolate, 2-3 mm long, acute. Flowers yellow, fading to white, 4-5 mm across; pedicels slender, c. 3 mm long; disc 10-lobed. Sepals 5, elliptic-oblong, c. 2 mm long, keeled, cucullate. Petals 5, spathulate, c. 3 mm long, truncate at the apex. Stamens 10, exserted, scales bipartite. Carpels 5; ovary ovoid, glabrous, sulcate, 5-loculed, each locule 4-ovuled; style persistent. Capsule deflexed, turbinate, rugulose, retuse, septicidally dehiscent into 5, 2-3 seeded, compressed cocci. Seeds oblong.

Fl. Per.: August-May.

Type: “Habitat in Arabia” Forskahl..

Distribution: Pakistan (Sind, Baluchistan), India, Iran, tropical and north Africa, Cape Verde Islands and west Asia.

Common in sandy or rocky and saline habitats in Sind and Baluchistan.

The infusion of the leaves and seeds is applied to eyes in Opthalmia and Leucoma. The seeds are anthelmintic and also used as food by nomads in Multan and Thar desert. The herb is eaten by camels.