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.

many, alternate, subsessile or short petiolate;

blade 1-veined, spatulate or obovate to oblong or elliptic, mainly 5–30(–40) × 2–9(–12) mm, base attenuate, margin remotely dentate to subentire, apex 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.

in small, terminal, leaf-bracteate glomerules 1.5 mm wide.

solitary or in few-flowered clusters in almost all but distalmost leaves.

dimorphic: black, 1.5–1.7 mm, or brown, 2 mm.

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

radicle inferior.

bracteoles red-fleshy at maturity, sessile or short stipitate, strongly veined, rhombic, convex, 3–6.6 × 2.8–4.5 mm, united at base, margin toothed, apex obtuse to acute.

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.

= 18.