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 ascending, often whitish or tinged with red, usually branched distally, sometimes proximally, to nearly simple, 0.2–1 m. Leaves: petiole usually longer than or ± equaling blade;

blade rhombic-ovate, ovate, obovate, or elliptic, 1–4.5 × 0.5–2.5 cm, usually somewhat fleshy, base cuneate, margins entire, apex obtuse to slightly emarginate, with terminal mucro.

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

lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 5–10 mm, longer than tepals, apex spinescent.

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

terminal, usually unbranched, stout spikes and axillary clusters, erect, usually greenish or reddish, leafless at least distally.

inconspicuous, mostly at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 3;

stamens 3.

few at tips of inflorescences;

tepals 5;

stamens 3–5.

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, elongate, not clawed, unequal or subequal, 1.5–2.5 mm, apex obtuse to subacute;

style branches elongated, shorter than body of fruit;

stigmas 3.

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

black, lenticular to subglobose-lenticular, 1–1.2 mm diam., smooth, shiny.

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

subglobose to broadly obovoid, 1.3–2.5 mm, equal or subequal to tepals, shorter than style branches, smooth or slightly rugose, dehiscence regularly circumscissile.