Flora of North America species comparison

ascending to erect, usually branched.

blade usually unlobed, rarely pinnately lobed with few, small lateral lobes, terminal lobe ovate, 1.7–3.5 × 1–1.5 cm, margins subentire, oil cells on abaxial surface inconspicuous, usually pale yellowish brown, rarely darker.

basal and cauline, cauline often reduced, basal often forming well-developed rosette, alternate;

stipules absent; long-petiolate;

blade often pinnately (rarely bipinnately) lobed, sometimes unlobed, or lateral lobes greatly reduced or absent, terminal lobe usually large, margins usually regularly or irregularly dentate to serrate, sometimes denticulate, serrulate, or entire, abaxial surface or margin with ± conspicuous, usually brown, oil cells.

racemes, erect or nodding.

petals 1.5–2 mm.

bisexual, actinomorphic, buds usually erect, sometimes reflexed;

floral tube deciduous (with sepals, petals, and stamens after anthesis), with basal nectary;

sepals 4, reflexed singly;

petals 4, usually yellow or white, often fading orange-red, sometimes lavender or purple, rarely cream, often with 1+ red dots near base;

stamens usually 8, in 2 subequal series, rarely 4 in 1 series (usually in C. exilis), anthers versatile, pollen shed singly or in tetrads;

ovary 4-locular, stigma usually entire and capitate, rarely conical-peltate and ± 4-lobed, surface unknown, probably wet and non-papillate.

a capsule, straight or slightly curved, subterete and clavate or oblong-cylindrical, regularly loculicidal;

pedicellate.

25–50 mm.

numerous, in 2 rows per locule, lenticular to narrowly ovoid to narrowly obovoid, finely pitted, with ± pronounced membranous margin when immature.