A sub-shrub with stems somewhat fleshy, 3 to 10 ft high, branched at the upper parts; shoots minutely downy. Leaves opposite, nearly stalkless, oblong-lanceolate, pointed, rather strongly toothed, cuneate, 4 to 6 in. long, 1 to 2 in. wide, three-veined, being reduced in size upwards until, in the flowering parts, they become small and linear. Inflorescence terminal, more or less pyramidal; flower-heads greenish white, 1⁄6 in. wide, hemispheric, axillary, each consisting of staminate and four to five pistillate flowers and beset by four or five broadly ovate bracts.
A native of the S. United States; introduced in 1711. It is mostly found growing in salt marshes and muddy sea-shores, and although quite hardy has little to recommend it for gardens. Both the typical variety and the following one are in cultivation, as well as intermediates between them.
var. oraria (Bartlett) Fern. & Griscom – This differs in being less tall (11⁄2 to 6 ft high), with broader leaves and slightly larger heads (five to six bracts and five to six pistillate flowers).