There are five, sometimes six, yellowish petals approximately 5 mm long, nearly equal and the appendage is usually divided to the base into three segments. The lateral lobes are 2 to 4 times as broad as the narrowly linear and usually shorter middle one. The seeds are pyriform, black, smooth, and shining. The seeds are contained within capsules that produce an average of 14 seeds and as many as 24. Seed germi nation and seedling establishment occur readily in dis turbed sites such as roadsides, fallow ground, and gravel piles.
Seeds germinate in early spring with some germina tion in the fall.
Flowering occurs from June through Sep tember. Mature seeds remain in capsules until dispersed by physical disturbance. Vegetative buds are numerous on the crown and primary and secondary roots. Severed crowns and root sections in fallow fields reestablish following tillage. Greenhouse studies showed that 10 cm sections of roots excavated at 0 to 50cm depths have equal regenerative potential.