Comandra umbellata is a perennial, partial root parasite (hemiparasite) to 40 cm tall, stems leafy, mostly unbranched, colonial from rhizomes.
Leaves alternate, oblong, to 5 cm long, conspicuously net-veined, thin, pale below.
Flowers small, greenish-white, calyx 5-parted, bell-shaped, lobes 0.3 cm, no petals (Newcomb 1977), in branched clusters, blooms May-June.
Fruit dry, to 0.6 cm wide.
Wetland status: FACU-.
Frequency in NYC: Very infrequent.
Origin: Native.
Habitat: Dry to moist open woods or fields, sandy, acid soil.