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.

erect or with lateral branches ascending, usually branched from base, main and lateral stems sparingly branched or simple, 0.3–0.7(–1) m. Leaves short-petiolate;

petiole 1/4–1/2 as long as blade;

blade linear to narrowly lanceolate, (1–)2–6(–10) × 0.1–0.5(–1) cm, base narrowly cuneate, margins entire, plane, apex acute to mucronulate.

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

of pistillate flowers ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1–1.8 mm, shorter than tepals, about 1/2 or less as long as tepals.

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

mostly axillary clusters scattered from base to apex of plants, distally condensed in lax, unbranched, almost leafless, slender, terminal spikes, interrupted.

inconspicuous, mostly at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 3;

stamens 3.

tepals 5, apex obtuse;

stamens (2–)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 5, reflexed, fan-shaped to broadly spatulate, clawed, equal or subequal, 1.5–3.3 mm, margins fimbriate or denticulate, apex much expanded and obtuse;

style branches erect to ± spreading;

stigmas 3(–4).

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

black or dark reddish brown, lenticular to broadly lenticular, 0.8–1 mm diam., shiny, smooth.

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

subglobose to obovate, 1.2–2 mm, shorter than tepals, rugose to nearly smooth, dehiscence regularly circumscissile.

= 34.