Flora of North America species comparison

erect, diffuse;

branches alternate, numerous, horizontal or distally ascending, terete, 1.5–4 dm, densely white farinose when young, glabrate in age;

bark becoming pale brownish white and flaky;

internodes mostly shorter than 1(–2.4) cm.

many, sometimes crowded;

blade orbiculate to ovate or ovate-lanceolate to elliptic or oblong, 8–40 × 4–18 mm, base obtuse or rounded, white scurfy.

alternate, proximalmost subopposite, sessile;

blade ovate-deltoid, 0.5–1.5(–2.5) × 5–12(–15) mm, rather firm and flat, base rounded, truncate, or slightly clasping, margin entire or toothed, apex acute, very densely canescent-farinose with a greenish yellow tinge.

sessile, axillary, inconspicuous, mostly in leafy lateral branches with extremely short internodes, arising toward tips of secondary branches.

in dense terminal spikes.

in most distal axils, 2 mm wide;

sepals 3–5, mostly hyaline, curved elliptic, 1.5–1.7 mm, mucronulate, farinose dorsally.

in few-flowered, axillary clusters.

densely farinose;

bracteoles adnate to ovary.

dark red-brown, 2.5–3 mm.

dark reddish brown, round-lenticular, 1.5 mm wide, shining;

radicle superior.

bracteoles not compressed, 5–7 mm, faces usually with wartlike projections, scurfy.

bracteoles variably and irregularly 3–7-cleft, ovate-orbicular, 3.1–4.7 × (3.2–)4–7 mm, typically somewhat constricted below middle, with terminal lobes (1–)1.5–2.8 mm, densely scurfy, faces doubly cristate or smooth.