Plants terrestrial, 15-45 cm. Rhizomes sympodial, proliferatively spreading, narrow-cylindrical, units 15-60 cm × 3-4.5 mm, roots scattered over surfaces. Stems erect, 2.5-5 dm × 2-3.5 mm. Leaves 8-11, sessile, clasping; blade ovate-elliptic to lanceolate, 5-6 × 2.5-3.5 cm; base rounded; apex acute. Inflorescences racemose, simple, 6-15-flowered. Flowers 1 per node, 3-merous; tepals conspicuous, 4-5 × 1.5-2 mm; filaments 1.2-1.5 mm; anthers 0.6-0.8 mm; ovary globose to cylindrical, ca. 1 mm wide; style 1.3-1.8 mm; stigma obscurely 3-lobed; pedicel 6-12 × 0.8-1 mm. Berries green with black stripes along median carpel vein when young, maturing to red, globose, 4-6 mm diam. Seeds 1-6, globose, 2.5-3 mm. 2n = 36. Flowering mid or late spring. Sand dunes, marginal woodlands, oak openings; 0--3200 m; Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), N.W.T., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon; Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., D.C., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., Nebr., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.Mex., N.Y., N.Dak., Ohio, Okla., Oreg., Pa., R.I., S.Dak., Tenn., Utah, Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis., Wyo.; disjunct in nw Mexico.