Flora of North America species comparison

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

prostrate to ascending, branched mainly from base, 0.1–0.4(–0.5) 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 shorter than blade;

blade rhombic-ovate to oblong, 0.5–1.5(–2.5) × 0.3–0.8(–1.5) cm, base cuneate, margins crisped-erose, conspicuously undulate, apex acute to subobtuse, with short mucro.

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

lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 1.2–1.7 mm, ± equaling or slightly shorter than tepals.

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

axillary glomerules, green, axes not thickened, not indurage at maturity.

clustered at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 2–3;

stamens 2–3.

intermixed with pistillate;

tepals 5;

stamens 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 5, spatulate-oblong, equal to subequal, 1.2–1.7 mm, margins entire, apex rounded to subacute;

style branches spreading;

stigmas 3, sessile.

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

black to dark reddish brown, lenticular to obovoid-lenticular, 0.7–1 mm diam., smooth.

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.

ellipsoid or obovoid, 1.5–2 mm, slightly longer than tepals, smooth to slightly wrinkled, indehiscent.