A tall leafy plant with succulent. translucent stems bearing nodding, usually pale yellow flowers occasionally splotched with reddish brown.

1" long; calyx with 3 sepals, 1 sepal same color as petals and forming a sharply spurred sac 1/4" long, 2 sepals green; corolla with 5 petals, each side pair united and appearing as a single petal.

1 1/2-3 1/2" long, alternate, thin, ovate, pale beneath.

Swollen capsule; exploding at maturity, expelling seeds.

2-5'.

July-October.

Shaded wetlands and woods.

An annual that often occurs in dense strands, this species is especially adapted to hummingbird visitation. but bees and butterflies are also important pollinators. If the leaves are submerged, they take on a silvery look. The sap of the stems and leaves is said to relieve itching from Poison Ivy and nettles (with which it often grows) and has also been used to treat athlete's foot; scientific data confirms the fungicidal qualities.