Flora of North America species comparison

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

usually erect, green or sometimes reddish purple, branched, mainly in inflorescences, to nearly simple, 0.3–1.5(–2) m, stiff.

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 mostly equaling or longer than blade;

blade rhombic-ovate to broadly lanceolate, 4–8 × 2–3 cm, occasionally larger in robust plants, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margins entire, apex cuneate to obtuse or indistinctly emarginate, with mucro.

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

lanceolate to linear-subulate, 4–7 mm, 2–3 times as long as tepals, rigid.

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

mostly terminal, usually with spikes at distal axils, erect and rigid, green to silvery green, occasionally tinged red, leafless at least distally.

clustered at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 2–3;

stamens 2–3.

clustered at tips of inflorescence branches;

tepals 3–5;

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 usually 3–5, not clawed, unequal;

outer tepals narrowly ovate-elliptic or elliptic, 1.5–3.5 mm, apex aristate;

style branches 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.

black, subglobose to lenticular, 1–1.4 mm diam., smooth, 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.

subglobose or compressed-ovoid, 2–3 mm, equaling or shorter than tepals, smooth or lid slightly rugose or minutely verrucose, dehiscence regularly circumscissile.