Flora of North America species comparison

decumbent to erect, branched.

erect, ascending, decumbent, or prostrate, with longitudinal air spaces, rooting at nodes.

light green to green, sometimes becoming reddish in terrestrial plants;

stipules lanceolate, 0.5–0.6 mm, margins dentate, apex acute;

petiole 1–4 mm;

blade obovate to oblanceolate, 4–12(–15) × 1.2–3 mm, base narrowly cuneate, apex acute to obtuse.

stipules membranous;

petiole present or absent;

blade margins entire, with hydathodes.

flowers usually solitary, sometimes 2[–3] per node.

1.5–2.5(–3.5) mm, recurved in fruit.

present or absent.

sepals 4, usually equal, sometimes 1 reduced, oblong-ovate or widely lanceolate, 0.5–0.6 × 0.3–0.4 mm;

petals 4, greenish white, slightly reddish, or pink, elliptic or ovate, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

stamens 8;

styles 4.

sepals 2–4, connate basally, equal or 1 smaller, not carinate, apex obtuse;

petals (0 or) 2–4, apex obtuse;

stamens [0–]1–8;

pistil 2–4-carpellate, ovary 2–4-locular, apex truncate;

styles 2–4;

stigmas 2–4.

depressed-ovoid, 4-locular, 1.3–2.5 mm diam.

membranous.

2–5 per locule, oblong to ellipsoid, curved 90–180°, 0.6–1 × 0.2 mm;

pits elliptic, length 1–3 times width, in 6–10 rows, (16–)20–29 per row.

2–33[–44] per locule, brown to yellowish brown, straight or curved (nearly circular in E. californica), surface with hexagonal, rectangular, elliptic, or ± round pits (pits oriented with longer dimension at right angles to length of seed).

= 9.