These are easily overlooked bushy little plants with linear-subulate leaves united around the slender slightly hairy stems. The flowers are numerous, sessile on the upper portions of the plant, bisexual but lacking petals, the greenish calyx becoming brownish, firm and hardened, readily shed while enclosing the fruit.

1. Tips of sepals acute, barely if at all margined with white.

S. annuus

1. Tips of sepals rounded, with conspicuous white border ca. 0.2-0.4 mm broad.

S. perennis