[3][4] This species is a perennial herb growing from a fibrous root system and producing stems up to 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) tall.

The leaf blades are lance-shaped to ovate, smooth-edged or toothed, hairless to rough-haired, and up to about 23 cm (9 in) long.

[6] The head is lined with 2 or 3 rows of phyllaries which are hairless or rough and sometimes glandular, and have rounded bases and pointed tips.

[5] There are two varieties of the species:[5] The foliage of the plant is eaten by herbivores such as the white-tailed deer and the blister beetle Epicauta fabricius.

[6] It is reported to be a host and nectar plant for many species of bees, butterflies, and moths.

[7] Characteristics of the seeds (such as the sizes of the kernel and its wing) have implications for the amount of oil that can be harvested and vary across different geographical regions.

For example, S. integrifolium tends to have more flower heads than S. perfoliatum, a closely related perennial crop candidate.

[10] S. integrifolium is also attractive for breeders because it is drought-resistant and takes up nitrogen in the soil compared to other perennial crop candidates.

[11] Many of the traits that interest breeders for domestication are controlled by genetic factors (i.e., are heritable) rather than the environment or random chance.

[13]  While de novo domestication involves artificially selecting plants with desirable traits (e.g., more oil or forage), wide hybridization can help incorporate new genetic material from more widespread geographic regions.