Flora of North America species comparison

erect or forming sprawling tangled clumps and mostly green;

branches erect-ascending, proximal ones opposite and ascending, sparsely scurfy when young, obtusely angled.

mostly alternate, short petiolate;

blade broadly ovate, rhombic to suborbiculate, (15–)30–65 mm, about as wide, thick, base cuneate, margin sinuate-dentate, apex obtuse to rounded.

alternate or only proximalmost opposite, all shortly petiolate;

blade green on both surfaces, linear, linear-oblong, linear-lanceolate, or oblong, (10–)25–80(–120) × 2–8(–12) mm, thin, gradually narrowed, margin mostly entire or some sinuate-dentate with antrorse teeth, apex obtuse to acuminate.

of long, dense or interrupted hairy spikes often forming panicle to 20 cm;

staminate flowers 4–5-merous.

crowded in glomerules on short or elongate, interrupted spikes in large paniculate clusters to 20 cm.

in dense, compound panicles, or axillary, or along staminate panicle branches.

brown, 2 mm wide.

dimorphic: brown, 2–2.8 mm wide, round and ± flattened, or black, 1.5–2 mm wide, round, evenly convex;

radicle inferior.

bracteoles sessile, reticulately veined, rhombic to orbiculate, 5–12(–15) × 5–11 mm, papery all over or thick and corky, margin subentire to coarsely few-toothed.

bracteoles sessile, triangular to ovate or ovate-rhombic, (3–)5–7 mm, mostly denticulate, rarely subentire, faces tuberculate almost distinct, green becoming brown or black.

= 18.