[3] It is native to North America, where it is widespread and common from Alaska to Mexico to New England.

It can be found in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas, often favoring wet places.

It is a fleshy annual herb producing two or more erect, reddish, hairless stems up to about 40 centimeters tall.

[4] Clusters of several rounded flowers each appear in the leaf axils and yield small fruits about 2 millimeters wide.

[5] Southwestern tribes ground the seeds, combining them with mesquite beans and corn.