Herbs annual or biennial, rarely perennial, dioecious, 40--80 cm tall. Stems erect, branched, basally villous, apically glandular villous. Proximal cauline leaves elliptic, base attenuate into short petiole; distal leaves sessile, orbicular-lanceolate or lanceolate, 6--8 × 1--2.7 cm, densely pubescent, 3-veined, apex acuminate. Flowers unisexual, forming dichasial cymes. Pedicel usually less than 1 cm, glandular villous; bracts ovate-lanceolate, villous. Calyx pubescent, glandular hairy; calyx teeth triangular, margin glandular villous, apex acuminate; male flower calyx tubular-campanulate, 1.3--1.5 cm, longitudinally 10-veined; female flower calyx tubular-ovoid, inflated at middle in fruit, contracted at apex, 1.5--2 cm, longitudinally 20-veined. Androgynophore very short. Petals white, claws exserted beyond calyx, glabrous, cuneate, auricles inconspicuous; limbs obovate, deeply bifid; coronal scales small or inconspicuous. Stamens included. Female flower styles 5. Capsule ovoid, 1.5--1.7 cm, 10-toothed. Seeds gray-brown, reniform, 1--1.3 mm. Fl. Jun--Jul, fr. Jul--Aug. 2n = 24.

Grasslands, scrub grasslands; 1100--1500 m. Liaoning (introduced), Xinjiang (native) [C and SW Asia, Europe].