Flora of North America species comparison

erect, branched, stout to robust, usually 1.5–3 m (occasionally to 9 m!) × 30 cm.

erect or ascending (sometimes prostrate), stramineous or suffused with red, branched at base, sparsely branched to simple distally, 15–30(–60) cm.

petiole 1/3–2/3 length of blade;

blade narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 10–20 × 1–4 cm, base cuneate, margins entire, plane, apex acute or long-attenuate to acuminate.

petiole 1/2 as long as to equaling blade;

blade ovate or rhombic-ovate, 1–2.7 × 0.5–1.5 cm, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margins entire, plane or slightly undulate (rarely erose), apex obtuse, rounded, or broadly cuneate, with mucro.

of pistillate flowers 1.5–2 mm; of staminate flowers with moderately heavy midribs, 1.5–2 mm.

lanceolate-ovate to lanceolate, shorter than tepals, apex acute.

mostly terminal, linear spikes to panicles, usually interrupted.

axial glomerules from base of plant to tip, interrupted at nodes or crowded in terminal, leafy spikes.

tepals 5, inner tepals with moderately prominent, excurrent midribs, equal, 2–2.5 mm, apex subacute to mucronulate;

stamens 5.

basal and scattered on lateral shoots;

tepals 4–5, oblong-ovate, equal, 1.2–1.6 mm, apex acute to acuminate;

stamens 3(–4).

tepals absent;

style branches spreading;

stigmas 3–5.

tepals 5, not imbricate, distal parts expanded, oblong-spatulate, subequal, 1.1–1.6(–2.1) mm, scarious, margins entire, apex obtuse or rounded, with excurrent midrib;

style branches erect;

stigmas 3.

reddish brown to dark brown, 1–1.2 mm diam., shiny.

black to reddish brown, lenticular to subglobose, 1–1.2 mm, smooth, shiny.

stramineous to brown, with 3(–5) longitudinal ridges corresponding to 3–5 style branches, elliptic or obovoid, 1.5–2.5 mm, slightly fleshy, smooth (slightly rugose in herbarium specimens).

brownish at maturity, obovoid to obpyramidal, slightly biconvex, 1.5–1.7 mm, longer than tepals, rugose to tuberculate, dehiscence regularly circumscissile.