Flora of North America species comparison

filiform to moderately thickened;

rhizomes often present, slender, 2–15+ cm.

filiform.

1–80+, erect or ascending to procumbent or prostrate to trailing, green, 5–60 cm;

internodes terete to angular, 1/3–8+ times as long as leaves, dull, retrorsely pubescent throughout or in lines, hairs minute.

1–40+, erect to ascending, branching, green, 10–30(–50) cm;

internodes ± terete, mostly 1–10 times as long as leaves, dull, retrosely puberulent in 2 lines.

usually connate basally, with scarious sheath 0.1–0.5 mm, occasionally petiolate (proximal leaves) or sessile;

petiole 2–5 mm;

blade 1-veined, vein prominent abaxially, linear-lanceolate to narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate, 3–35 × 2–14 mm, herbaceous, margins thickened, scarious, shiny, ciliate proximally or throughout, apex obtuse or acute to apiculate, often minutely pustulate, ciliate on margins and adaxial midrib;

axillary leaf clusters absent.

usually connate proximally, with scarious sheath 0.2–0.4 mm, petiolate (proximal leaves) or sessile;

petiole 2–4 mm;

blade 1-veined, vein ± weak abaxially, ovate (petiolate blades) or elliptic-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 5–15(–20) × 2–4 mm, herbaceous, margins undulate, scarious, shiny, sparsely ciliate especially proximally, apex acute to apiculate or cuspidate, often pustulate, glabrous;

axillary leaf clusters absent.

axillary, solitary flowers or in proliferating, mostly terminal, leafy, 1–80+-flowered cymes.

terminal, open, leafy, 3–50+-flowered cymes.

erect to ascending (often arcuately so), or straight to widely divergent, often hooked distally in fruit, 2–40 mm, retrorsely pubescent.

erect to reflexed in fruit, 10–40 mm, glabrous.

sepals green, 1–3-veined, 2 lateral veins 1/4–3/4 times as long as midvein, often appearing prominently keeled proximally, lanceolate to ovate (herbaceous portion oblong or lanceolate to ovate), 2–5 mm, to 5.5 mm in fruit, apex acute to acuminate, not pustulate, glabrous;

petals narrowly spatulate to obovate, 1.5–6 mm, 1/2–12/5 times as long as sepals or absent, apex obtuse to rounded, petals sometimes absent.

sepals green, 1-veined, vein obscure or prominent proximally, not keeled, elliptic to broadly ovate (herbaceous portion light green, ovate), 2–3.5 mm, to 4.5 mm in fruit, apex acute to acuminate, often pustulate, glabrous;

petals elliptic, 1.5–3 mm, 1/2–3/4 times as long as sepals, apex obtuse.

± loosely to tightly enclosed by calyx, ovoid, 3–6 mm, 4/5–11/2 times as long as sepals.

loosely to tightly enclosed by calyx, ovoid, 3–4 mm, 11/5–2 times as long as sepals.

8–35, black, suborbicular, slightly compressed, 0.7–0.8 mm, shiny, smooth.

20–30, ashy brown, broadly reniform, compressed, 0.5–0.6 mm, dull, minutely or prominently rounded-tuberculate.

= 40, 44.