Texas screwstem is a slender, erect annual plant that measures 6 to 14 inches tall. Leaves are reduced to scales and alternate, but can be positioned opposite of each other at the top of the stem. Flowers are four-lobed and arranged in clusters. The sepals are slender, awl-shaped lobes that are fused at the base. The petals are whitish, egg-shaped tapering gradually to a point or ending in a small abrupt point. The fruit is a capsule that splits at its apex to release seeds.