Flora of North America species comparison

stiffly erect;

branchlets terete.

erect or forming sprawling tangled clumps and mostly green;

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

tardily deciduous, alternate or proximal-most subopposite, shortly petiolate;

blade gray green, oblong-ovate to elliptic or orbiculate, 8–30(–35) × 6–20 mm, margin entire or rarely dentate, apex rounded to retuse or obtuse.

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.

yellow, in clusters 2–3 mm wide, borne in panicles 6–30 cm.

in small, very numerous glomerules in axils of elongated, terminal leafy-bracteate spikes or finally paniculate.

brown, 2.4–2.8 mm.

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

radicle inferior.

bracteoles sessile or substipitate, 4–5 × 5–9 mm, base broadly cuneate, margin sharply toothed, apical tooth subtended by 2–6 equal or smaller teeth, faces smooth or rarely tuberculate.

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.