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.

1–100+, erect to ascending or sprawling, green, 3–40+ cm;

internodes terete to ellipsoid, 2–8 times as long as leaves, dull, retrorsely pubescent throughout, sometimes also stipitate-glandular.

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.

often connate basally, with scarious or mostly herbaceous sheath 0.2–0.3 mm, petiolate (proximal leaves) or usually sessile;

petiole 1–4 mm;

blade 3–5 veined, elliptic to broadly ovate or rarely orbiculate, 2–7 × 1–4 mm, herbaceous, margins flat, herbaceous, dull, ciliate especially proximally, apex acute to acuminate, pustulate, sparsely minutely pubescent or 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 or ascending in fruit, 1–12 mm, retrorsely pubescent.

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, often prominently 3-veined, not keeled, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate (herbaceous portion narrowly elliptic to broadly lanceolate), 2–3 mm, to 4 mm in fruit, apex narrowly acute to acuminate, ± minutely pustulate, stipitate-glandular;

petals oblong, 0.6–2.7 mm, 1/5–3/4 times as long as sepals, apex obtuse to rounded.

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

loosely enclosed by calyx, ovoid to cylindric-ovoid, 3–3.5 mm, 4/5–11/5 times as long as sepals.

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

10–15, ashy black, reniform, plump, 0.4–0.6 mm, not shiny, with low-elongate, prominent tubercules.

= 40, 44.