Flora of North America species comparison

erect, simple or with lateral branches (especially distally), 0.2–1 m. Leaves: petiole 1/2–11/2 as long as blade;

blade rhombic-ovate or ovate, 1–7 × 0.5–5 cm, base rounded, cuneate, or attenuate, margins entire, plane, apex obtuse, rounded, or emarginate, mucronate.

prostrate, whitish or tinged with red, much-branched from base, 0.1–0.5 m, rather fleshy.

petiole 1/2 or less as long as blade;

blade pale green, veins prominent, obovate, spatulate, or oblanceolate to linear, 0.3–2(–3) × 0.2–1.5 cm, base cuneate, margins entire, plane or slightly undulate, apex obtuse to subacute, with prominent mucro.

of pistillate flowers ovate to lanceolate, 1 mm, shorter than tepals.

of pistillate flowers linear, 0.5–1 mm, ± equaling tepals.

slender spikes aggregated into elongate terminal panicles, also from distal axils, green, leafless at least distally.

axillary clusters borne from bases to tops of plants.

inconspicuous, mostly at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 3;

stamens 3.

intermixed with pistillate;

tepals (2–)3;

stamens 3.

tepals 3, narrowly elliptic, obovate-elliptic or spatulate, not clawed, ± equal, 1.2–1.7 mm, apex rounded or nearly acute, mucronate or not;

style branches erect;

stigmas 3.

tepals 1–3, narrowly lanceolate, unequal, usually with only 1 well-developed tepal, largest 1–1.2 mm, apex acute to acuminate;

stigmas 3.

black or dark brown, subglobose to thick-lenticular, 1 mm diam., minutely punctulate, rather dull.

very dark reddish brown, lenticular, (0.6–)0.7–1 mm diam., shiny.

ovoid to compressed-ovoid, 1–1.6 mm, equaling or slightly exceeding tepals, prominently or faintly rugose, indehiscent.

subglobose, 1–1.2 mm, smooth or wrinkled (especially in dry plants), dehiscence regularly circumscissile or tardily dehiscent.