Flora of North America species comparison

few to many, erect to ascending, rarely proximally decumbent or creeping and rooting at nodes, usually branched, glabrous, glabrate, or hairy, hairs spreading to ± retrorse, short to long, soft to stiff, rarely stipitate-glandular.

subterranean or aerial;

aerial stems prostrate to decumbent, ascending, or erect [viny].

green to purple, linear to lanceolate, narrowly elliptic, narrowly oblong, or ovate, (1.5–)3–8(–9.5) cm, thin and not fleshy or slightly to moderately thickened and slightly fleshy, margins plane, rarely wavy, flat to involute, whole leaf sometimes recurved downward, 0(–5)-lobed, apex acute to obtuse, sometimes rounded;

lobes ascending-spreading, narrowly lanceolate, apex acute.

deciduous, cauline or basal and cauline, rarely basal only or absent, sometimes scales, opposite, alternate, whorled, or spiral, simple;

stipules absent;

petiole present or absent;

blade usually not fleshy or leathery, rarely fleshy, leathery, or chartaceous, margins entire, toothed, or lobed.

3–15(–22) × 1.5–5.5 cm, often bearing a thin, white, powdery exudate, especially on bract surfaces;

bracts greenish, scarlet, red, red-orange, or pale orange throughout, sometimes pink, magenta, pink-purple, yellow, greenish yellow, white, or salmon throughout, or proximally greenish, distally colored as above, lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 0–5(–7)-lobed, central lobes sometimes distally apiculate;

lobes erect, linear to lanceolate, oblong, or oblanceolate, short or medium length, arising near or above mid length, central lobe apex obtuse, rounded, or truncate, lateral ones rounded to acute or acuminate.

terminal and/or axillary, racemes, panicles, spikes, corymbs, or flowers 1 or 2.

0–5 mm.

bisexual, perianth and androecium hypogynous;

sepals (0 or)2–5(–8), connate, calyx radially or bilaterally symmetric;

petals [4 or]5, connate, corolla bilaterally symmetric, bilabiate or strongly bilabiate, tubular, funnelform, campanulate, salverform, or club-shaped, sometimes cylindric, subrotate, or curved;

stamens (2 or)4, adnate to corolla tube, didynamous, subequal, or equal, staminodes 0 or 2;

pistil 1, 2[or 3]-carpellate, ovary superior, 1- or 2-locular, placentation axile, sometimes parietal;

ovules anatropous or campylotropous-like (Rhinanthus), unitegmic, tenuinucellate;

style 1;

stigma 1.

slightly curved, 20–48 mm;

tube 12–26 mm;

abaxial lip usually not exserted, though often visible in front calyx cleft, beak partially to fully exserted;

beak adaxially green to yellow-green or whitish, (9–)14–25 mm;

abaxial lip incurved or ascending, deep green or green, sometimes deep purple or yellowish, reduced, not inflated, visible in front cleft, 0.5–3.5 mm, 5–20% as long as beak (to ca. 33% as long as beak in some populations of var. miniata);

teeth incurved or erect, green or white, 0.7–1.5 mm.

colored as bracts, 15–38 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 4–24 mm, 35–70% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral (1–)3–8(–12) mm, 5–30% of calyx length;

lobes linear or narrowly lanceolate to narrowly triangular, apex acute to acuminate or obtuse.

capsules, dehiscence loculicidal and/or septicidal or indehiscent (Conopholis).

1–2500(–5000), brown or black, sometimes tan, white, yellow, amber, or gray, ovoid to ellipsoid, reniform, globular, oblong, or angled;

embryo straight, endosperm present.

= 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144.