A foul-smelling plant or weed. Stems erect or ascending, branching from base, to 4 dm, white-mealy. Leaves strongly malodorous; petiole 0.8-0.9 cm; blade ovate or rhombic, 0.8-1.6 × 0.6-1.5 mm, base rounded to cuneate, margins entire, apex acute, densely mealy abaxially, glabrescent adaxially. Inflorescences small glomerules in terminal panicles and axillary spikes; glomerules subglobose, 0.4 mm; bracts absent. Flowers perianth segments 5, connate into 0.5 mm tube; lobes deltate, 0.5-0.7 × 0.6-0.7 mm, apex acuminate, rounded abaxially, farinose, covering fruit at maturity; stamens 5; stigmas 2, 0.2 mm. Achenes depressed-ovoid; pericarp adherent, smooth. Seeds lenticular, oval, 0.9-1.2 mm diam.; seed coat black, smooth.

Antispasmodic and emmenagogue (whole plant); depurative, nervine, fermifuge.

Plants for a Future

In the treatment of hysteria and nervous troubles connected with women's ailments (leaves).