Flora of North America species comparison

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

erect or ascending proximally, much-branched especially near base, 0.1–0.7 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 less than 1/2 as long as blade;

blade oblanceolate or lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, (1.2–)1.5–5(–7) × 0.3–2 cm, base narrowly cuneate to cuneate, margins entire, plane or slightly undulate, apex acute to subobtuse, mucronulate.

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

lanceolate to linear-subulate, 1.3–3.5 mm, slightly longer 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 clusters, toward apex aggregated in spikes (rarely spicate panicles), axes, leafy (occasionally almost leafless distally).

clustered at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 2–3;

stamens 2–3.

mostly at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 5, equal or subequal;

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 5, spatulate to narrowly spatulate, clawed, equal or subequal, 1.5–2.5 mm, margins entire, apex obtuse, rounded, or slightly emarginate;

style branches erect;

stigmas 3.

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

black, subglobose to broadly lenticular, 1 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.

obovoid to subglobose-obovoid, 1.5–2 mm, nearly equaling or slightly shorter than tepals, smooth, dehiscence regularly circumscissile.