Annual floating aquatic herb. Roots are of two types: rhizome roots, fine and wire-like, attached to mud at the bottom of the water; assimilatory roots, pinnately finely lobed, lobes filamentous. Stems are weak and branched.

Leaf Type Ye Er: Floating leaves alternate, gathered at the top of the main stem or branch stems, arranged in a spiral interlocking pattern on the water surface forming a lotus-sac-like rhizome. The leaf shape is rhombic or triangular-rhombic, measuring 3.5-4 cm in length and 4.2-5 cm in width. The surface is deep, lustrous green, hairless, while the back is gray-brown or green. The main and lateral veins are slightly prominent on the back, densely covered with light gray or brownish short hairs, with brown spots between the veins. The leaf margin has irregular rounded notches or serrations in the middle and upper part, and is entire in the middle and lower part, with a楔-shaped or nearly circular base. The petiole is slightly enlarged in the middle and upper part, 5-17 cm long, covered with brown or light gray short hairs. Submerged leaves are small and fall early.

Flowers are small, solitary in leaf axils, bisexual; calyx tube 4 deeply lobed, covered with pale yellow short hairs on the outside; petals 4, white; stamens 4; pistil with semi-inferior ovary, 2 carpels, 2 chambers, each chamber containing 1 anatropous ovule, with only 1 chamber having developed ovules; disk resembling a rooster comb. Fruits are triangular-diamond shaped, 2 cm high, 2.5 cm wide, with surface covered in pale gray long hairs, 2 shoulder angles extending straight or obliquely, shoulder angles about 1.5 cm long, spines at the base not明显 thickened, no spines at the waist angle, slight tuberculate protuberances,不明显 prominent, fruit beak not prominent, fruit neck 1 mm high, diameter 4-5 mm, containing 1 white seed. Flowering period from May to October, fruiting period from July to November.