Flora of North America species comparison

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

erect or ascending, branched, 0.1–0.5 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 1/2 as long as blade;

blade oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate-linear, 1–3 × 0.2–1 cm, base cuneate to narrowly cuneate, margins entire, plane or sometimes undulate, apex rounded or obtuse-truncate, mucronate.

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

broadly ovate, 1 mm or shorter, 1/2 or less length of tepals, apex acute.

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

mostly axillary, but at apex flowers also condensed in terminal spikes or spicate panicles, usually leafy proximally or nearly leafless distally.

clustered at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 2–3;

stamens 2–3.

tepals (3–)5;

stamens 3.

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, spreading at maturity, spatulate, clawed, subequal, 2 mm, margins fimbriate, apex rounded or shallowly emarginate;

stigmas 3.

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

dark reddish brown to nearly black, lenticular or broadly lenticular, 0.6–0.8 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.

narrowly oblong, 1–1.4 mm, shorter than tepals, indehiscent.