Perennial growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in). It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf 10-May It is in flower from Jul to October, and the seeds ripen from Sep to November.
The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind.
Fruit oval, shining, smooth, greyish, with a thick and hard pericarp. The plant prefers light sandy, medium  loamy  and heavy  clay soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic alkaline soils. and can grow in very acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade.It requires moist soil. 

Part used :  Grains of ripe fruit, collected in winter. After drying, the fruit is pounded in a mortar to separate the husk from the grain. The husks are discarded and the grains roasted before use. 
Chemical components : the grains contain carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, amino acids, leucine, lysine, arginine, tyrosine, coixol, coixenolid, sitosterol, dimethyl glucoside.
Effective Ingredients: Their grains are considered to be nutritious by virtue of their high protein and fat content. They are used for the treatment of enteritis, persistent diarrhoea in children, oedema, urinary lithiasis, rheumatism and acrodynia. Doses of 10 to 30 g per day in the form of powder or decoction are given.
Therapeutic uses : Stem is used mix with other plants to get decoction as tonic for post-partum. Leaf is used as diuretic and itch relief. Decoction of root is used for treatment pyrexia and as laxative.
Prohibit to pregnant women.