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.

prostrate to ascending or erect, simple or branched.

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.

opposite, connate proximally or not, often petiolate (basal leaves), not stipulate;

blade subulate or linear to spatulate, lanceolate, or broadly ovate, seldom succulent.

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

terminal or axillary cymes, or flowers solitary;

bracts foliaceous or reduced, herbaceous to scarious (or rarely absent);

involucel bracteoles absent.

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

present or rarely flowers sessile.

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.

bisexual or seldom unisexual, sometimes inconspicuous;

perianth and androecium hypogynous or perigynous, often slightly;

hypanthium cup-, dish-, or disc-shaped;

sepals (4–)5, distinct or seldom connate basally, sometimes hooded, not awned;

petals absent or (1–)4–5, usually white, sometimes translucent, yellowish white, pink, or brownish, seldom clawed, auricles absent, coronal appendages absent, blade apex entire or 2-fid, sometimes jagged or emarginate, rarely laciniate;

stamens absent or (1–)5(–10), in 1 or 2 whorls, arising from base of ovary, a nectariferous disc, or sometimes the hypanthium or hypanthium rim;

staminodes absent or 1–5(–8);

ovary 1- or rarely 3-locular (Wilhelmsia);

styles (2–)3–5(–6), distinct;

stigmas (2–)3–5(–6).

capsules, or rarely utricles (Scleranthus), opening by (2–)3–6, occasionally 8 or 10 valves or (3 or) 6–10 teeth;

carpophore present or often absent.

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

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

1–60+, yellowish or tan to dark red or often brown or black, usually reniform or triangular to circular and laterally compressed or ovoid to globose, rarely oblong and dorsiventrally compressed (Holosteum);

embryo usually peripheral and curved, rarely central and straight (Holosteum).

= 6–15, 17–19, 23.

= 40, 44.