Flora of North America species comparison

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

erect to sometimes ascending or rarely prostrate, branched, rarely simple, usually (0.5–)1–2(–3) 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 1/4–1/2 length of blade;

blade ovate or obovate proximally, oblong or elliptic to narrowly lanceolate distally, 1.5–15 × 0.5–3 cm, base cuneate, margins entire, plane, apex obtuse or rounded to acute.

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

of pistillate flowers 1–2 mm; of staminate flowers with inconspicuous to prominent midrib, 1–2 mm, apex acuminate to short-subulate.

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

terminal, linear spikes to panicles, occasionally interrupted-moniliform, remote, globose glomerules.

clustered at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 2–3;

stamens 2–3.

tepals 5, inner tepals with prominent midribs excurrent as rigid spines or not, equal to unequal, 2–3 mm, apex obtuse to acute or acuminate or indistinctly mucronulate;

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 absent or 1–2, often rudimentary, 1–3 mm;

style branches ± erect;

stigmas 3.

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

dark reddish brown to dark brown, 0.7–1 mm diam., 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.

dark brown to reddish brown, not ribbed, obovoid to subglobose, 1.5–2 mm, thin, almost smooth or irregularly rugose, indehiscent, irregularly dehiscent, or dehiscence regularly circumscissile.