Flora of North America species comparison

filiform to moderately thickened;

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

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.

5–40+, flowering stems erect to ascending, green, 2–8(–10) cm;

internodes terete to angular, 1/2–4 times as long as leaves, shiny, glabrous or occasionally sparsely stipitate-glandular at distalmost internodes.

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.

connate basally, with scarious sheath 0.2–0.3 mm, sessile;

blade weakly to prominently 1-veined, narrowly oblong or elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, 2–12 × 1–3 mm, subsucculent, margins thickened, herbaceous, shiny, smooth, apex blunt to acute, prominently pustulate or not, glabrous;

axillary leaf clusters absent.

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

terminal, open, leafy, 1–3-flowered cymes or often flowers solitary.

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

erect in fruit, 1–10 mm, minutely retrorsely pubescent to stipitate-glandular.

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, 3-veined, 2 lateral veins 1/2–3/4 times as long as midvein, more prominent in fruit, not keeled, ovate (herbaceous portion ovate), 2.5–4 mm, not enlarging in fruit, apex obtuse or somewhat acute, not pustulate, glabrous;

petals oblanceolate, 3–4 mm, ± 11/2 times as long as sepals, apex acute.

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

tightly enclosed by calyx, broadly ellipsoid, 4–4.5 mm, ca. 11/4 times as long as sepals.

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

12–18, brown, reniform, compressed, 0.5–0.7 mm, shiny, faintly rugulose.

-roots filiform;

rhizomes weak, slender, 0.5–15+ cm.

= 40, 44.

= 40, 44 (both Europe).