Flora of North America species comparison

erect, reddish near base, branched in distal part to simple 0.2–1.5(–2) m; underdeveloped or damaged plants rarely ascending to nearly prostrate.

erect, usually branched or occasionally ± simple, 0.4–1.5(–2) m;

branches sometimes ascending.

petiole 1/2 to equaling blade;

blade ovate to rhombic-ovate, 2–15 × 1–7 cm, base cuneate to rounded-cuneate, margins entire, plane or slightly undulate, apex acute, obtuse, or slightly emarginate, with terminal mucro.

petiole shorter than or rarely ± equaling blade;

blade mostly narrowly ovate, obovate, elliptic, or lanceolate, 1.5–8 × 0.5–3 cm, thin and soft, base cuneate to nearly rounded, margins entire, plane or irregularly undulate, apex subacute to obtuse, with terminal mucro.

lanceolate to subulate, (2.5–)3.5–5(–6) mm, exceeding tepals, apex acuminate with excurrent midrib.

of pistillate flowers with short, excurrent midrib, (1.5–)2–2.5 mm, equaling tepals or nearly so, apex acute or acuminate; of staminate flowers with prominent midribs, 2–3.5 mm, shorter than tepals, apex acute.

terminal and axillary, erect or reflexed at tip, green or silvery green, often with reddish or yellowish tint, branched, leafless at least distally, usually short and thick.

mostly terminal, spikes to panicles, erect to nodding, rarely with axillary clusters in proximal part of plant.

few at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 5;

stamens (3–)4–5.

tepals 5, equal or subequal, 3 mm, apex obtuse to subacute;

inner tepals with apex indistinctly mucronulate;

stamens 5.

tepals 5, spatulate-obovate, lanceolate-spatulate, not clawed, subequal or unequal, (2–)2.5–3.5(–4) mm, membranaceous, apex emarginate or obtuse, with mucro;

style branches erect or slightly spreading,;

stigmas 3.

tepals spatulate, 1.5–2.5 mm, apex obtuse, with terminal mucro;

style branches ± erect;

stigmas 2–3.

black to dark reddish brown, lenticular to subglobose-lenticular, 1–1.3 mm, smooth, shiny.

dark reddish brown, (0.9–)1–1.2 mm diam., shiny.

broadly obovoid to broadly elliptic, 1.5–2.5 mm, shorter than or subequal to tepals, smooth or slightly rugose, especially near base and in distal part, dehiscence regularly circumscissile.

light brown to brown, subglobose, 1.5–2 mm, shorter than tepals, walls thin, usually smooth.