Flora of North America species comparison

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

erect, green, branched, 0.3–1 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 of proximal leaves equaling or longer than blade, becoming shorter distally;

blade rhombic-ovate or ovate to elliptic, 3–12 × 2–8 cm, base broadly cuneate, margins entire, apex slightly acuminate to obtuse and faintly emarginate, mucronate.

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

lanceolate, shorter than 2 mm, shorter than tepals, apex spinescent.

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

terminal panicles and axillary spikes;

panicles erect or often drooping, green, dense, branched, leafless at least distally.

clustered at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 2–3;

stamens 2–3.

usually clustered at tips of inflorescence branches, sometimes gathered in proximal glomerules (as in A. spinosus);

tepals 5, equal or subequal;

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, oblong-spatulate to oblong, not clawed, 1.5–2 mm, apex acute, often very shortly mucronate;

style branches strongly spreading, shorter than body of fruit;

stigmas 3.

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

dark reddish brown to black, subglobose or lenticular, 0.8–1 mm diam., shiny, 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.

ovoid or subglobose, 1.5–2 mm, slightly shorter than tepals, smooth to irregularly wrinkled, dehiscence regularly circumscissile.

= 64.