Flora of North America species comparison

erect or ascending, terete, 4–150 cm, simple or branched with strong central axis, proximal branches ascending or suberect, villous or strigillose, often mixed glandular puberulent distally.

opposite and often early-deciduous proximally, alternate and crowded distally, usually subsessile, rarely petiole 1–2 mm, blade usually narrowly lanceolate to sublinear, rarely to lanceolate, 1.4–7.5(–9.2) × 0.5–1.4 cm, base cuneate to attenuate, margins remotely to sharply serrulate, 5–12 teeth per side, lateral veins obscure, 2–5 per side, apex acute, surfaces densely villous and/or strigillose;

bracts broader than cauline leaves, broadly lanceolate to ovate or subrotund, 0.5–2.5 × 0.3–1.8 cm, long-acuminate, sometimes folded on midrib.

erect spikes, congested, simple, densely villous and strigillose, sometimes mixed glandular puberulent.

erect, often hidden within subtending bracts, usually chasmogamous;

buds sessile, narrowly elongate, 2–4 mm;

floral tube 1.3–3.8 × 1–2.2 mm, ring of hairs 0.6–2 mm distal to base inside;

sepals 2–7.5 × 0.5–2.2 mm, apex acute;

petals rose-purple, magenta, pink, or white, 3–9.5(–11.5) × 1.2–5(–6.2) mm, apical notch 0.8–3.8 mm;

filaments dark pink, those of longer stamens 1.5–4.5 mm, those of shorter ones 0.5–1.9 mm;

anthers yellow, 0.5–1.2 × 0.3–0.7 mm;

ovary 2–5 mm, densely villous, often mixed glandular puberulent;

style white, 2.2–5.5(–7.5) mm, glabrous, stigma subcapitate to irregularly 4-lobed, 0.3–0.8 × 0.3–1 mm, surrounded by longer anthers.

cylindrical to subfusiform, 4–11 mm, beak to 0.5 mm, central column persistent, surfaces densely villous;

subsessile or pedicel 1–2.5 mm.

3–8 per locule, irregularly angular-fusiform, 1.2–1.6(–1.9) × 0.4–1 mm, without a chalazal collar, light brown, surface irregularly reticulate with raised cells.

= 20.