Foliage glabrous, except for tufts of long white interwoven hairs in the leaf axils . Leaves deciduous or shriveled in fruit. Lateral roots may spread up to 46 cm in all directions. Fruits with sepals typically hide stems . Utricles tightly enclosed by adherent brown bract-like sepals contain brown seeds, and entire structures are referred to as brown seeds.
Plants turn straw-colored when cool season frosts begin.
Plants with some fruits, particularly those enclosed by bract-like sepals, may remain intact through winter. Disturbed open sites, dry lakebeds, shrublands, roadsides, typically where native vegetation is sparse. Inhabits arid and semi-arid regions, especially where winters are cold. Grows on many soil types, but is adapted to alkaline and saline soils with at least 5800 ppm of sodium chloride. Abundance depends on yearly rainfall amounts.