Schiedea nuttallii, a member of the pink family (Caryophyllaceae), is a generally hairless, erect subshrub, with stems normally 0.3 to 1.5 m (1 to 5 ft) long, and internodes usually 0.8 to 4 cm (0.3 to 1.6 in) long. The green, sometimes purple-tinged leaves are opposite, narrowly egg-shaped or lance-shaped to narrowly or broadly elliptic, 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) long, and 1.5 to 2 cm (0.6 to 0.8 in) wide. The petalless, perfect flowers are borne in open branched inflorescences, normally 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 in) long. The lance-shaped sepals, 2 to 3.8 mm (0.08 to 1.5 in) long, are green or sometimes purple-tinged. The fruit is a capsule. The round- to kidney-shaped seeds are about 1 mm (0.04 in) long.