Flora of North America species comparison

erect, green, 6–22 cm, appressed-hairy;

nodes 4–6, internodes progressively longer distally;

branches only at distalmost node, much shorter than distal internodes so stems appear unbranched.

solitary, 5–10 dm apart;

bark pink, light maroon, or green, not corky, loosely verrucose;

branchlets yellow-green, with scattered hairs;

lenticels protruding on 2d year branches, area surrounding them suffused with purple on older branches;

pith white or tan.

at proximal 2–4 nodes nonchlorophyllous, opposite, ± scalelike, caducous (rarely chlorophyllous at 3d node from apex but much smaller than more distal leaves), at 2d node from apex nonchlorophyllous proximally, chlorophyllous distally, opposite, well developed, persistent, at distalmost node chlorophyllous, appearing to be in whorl of 6, well developed, persistent;

distalmost leaves much bigger than those at 2 more proximal nodes;

petiole 0–3.4 mm;

blade ovate to elliptic, 3.5–8 × 0.9–4 cm, apex acute or short acuminate, abaxial surface pale green, hairs sparsely appressed-hairy, adaxial surface green, appressed-hairy;

secondary veins 3 per side, all arising from proximal 1/2.

petiole 10–23 mm;

blade suborbiculate or broadly ovate, 7–15 × 5–14 cm, base usually subcordate to broadly cuneate, rarely nearly truncate, apex abruptly acuminate, abaxial surface pale green, hairs erect, dense, tufts of erect hairs present in axils of secondary veins, adaxial surface dark green, hairs appressed or erect;

secondary veins 7–9 per side, evenly spaced, tertiary veins usually prominent giving leaf a wrinkled appearance.

20–40-flowered;

peduncle 13–30 mm;

primary branches 0–2 mm;

bracts greenish white or white, often red-tipped, unequal, 2 ovate, 21–30 × 12–13 mm, 2 suborbiculate, 17–1.9 × 13–16 mm, apex acuminate.

flat-topped, 5–7 cm diam., peduncle 18–35 mm;

branches and pedicels pink, turning red in fruit.

0.4–1.6 mm, sparsely appressed-hairy or glabrous.

hypanthium cream to mottled purple, 1.2–2 mm, densely appressed-hairy;

sepals mottled purple and cream, 0.1–0.4 mm, apex rounded or acute, thick, sparsely hairy on margin, densely glandular;

petals cream proximally, purple distally, 1.5–1.8 mm, apical awn 0.4–0.6 mm;

nectary dark purple or black.

hypanthium constricted below sepals, appressed-hairy;

sepals 0.2–0.4 mm;

petals white, 2.6–3.8 mm.

10–20 per inflorescence, red, globose, 6–8 mm;

stone globose or subglobose, 2.7–3.4 × 2.1–3.4 mm, longitudinally grooved, apex slightly pointed.

pale blue, globose, 5–8 mm diam.;

stone globose, 4 mm diam., slightly ribbed, apex dimpled.

= 44.

= 22.