Flora of North America species comparison

ascending or prostrate, profusely branched basally, radiating from rootstock, mostly 0.2–0.5 m.

erect, branched, stout, usually 1–3 m.

petiole 1/2 as long as to equaling blade;

blade rhombic-ovate or ovate to lanceolate, 1–2 × 0.5–1 cm, base tapering or cuneate, margins entire, plane or slightly undulate, apex subacute, obtuse, or retuse or shallowly emarginate, mucronulate.

petiole 1/2 length of blade;

blade lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate to linear, to 20 × 4 cm, base narrowly cuneate, margins entire, plane to slightly undulate, apex acute to acuminate.

of pistillate flowers linear, 0.5–1 mm, 1/2 as long as tepals.

of pistillate flowers 1.5 mm; of staminate flowers with midribs not prominent, scarcely excurrent, shorter than 1 mm.

terminal, erect, compact, pyramidal panicles and also some axillary clusters, green or silvery green, occasionally tinged with red, leafless at least distally.

mostly terminal, narrow spikes or thyrses, usually interrupted, linear.

clustered at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 2–3;

stamens 2–3.

tepals 5, without prominent midribs, equal, 2.5–3 mm, apex obtuse to indistinctly mucronulate in outer tepals;

stamens 3–5.

tepals 2–3, narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate, not clawed, equal or subequal, 1.2–2 mm, apex broadly acute;

style branches erect;

stigmas 3.

tepals absent or 1–2 and rudimentary;

style branches ± erect;

stigmas 3–5.

very dark brown to black, 1–1.2 mm diam., shiny, filling only proximal portion of fruit.

reddish brown to dark brown, 2–3 mm diam., shiny.

marked with 2(–3) green lines that intersect at apex and divide fruit into halves or quarters, slightly to distinctly inflated, ellipsoid, 2–3 mm, distinctly longer than tepals, smooth (in dry plants wrinkled or rugose), indehiscent.

often black, with 3(–5) longitudinal ridges corresponding to 3–5 style branches, ovoid or obovoid, 2.5–4 mm (exceeding tepals, when present), somewhat fleshy, smooth (slightly rugose, especially in herbarium specimens).