Flora of North America species comparison

erect, (8–)10–25 cm, glabrous or stipitate-glandular.

prostrate to ascending or erect, simple or branched.

basal leaves persistent;

cauline leaves usually in 2–4 pairs, reduced distally;

basal blades spreading to recurved, needlelike, 1–3(–3.5) cm × 0.5–0.7 mm, flexuous to rigid, herbaceous, apex spinose, glabrous to puberulent, not glaucous.

opposite, connate proximally or not, often petiolate (basal leaves), not stipulate;

blade subulate or linear to spatulate, lanceolate, or broadly ovate, seldom succulent.

(1–)3–17-flowered, ± open cymes.

terminal or axillary cymes, or flowers solitary;

bracts foliaceous or reduced, herbaceous to scarious (or rarely absent);

involucel bracteoles absent.

3–30 mm, glabrous or stipitate-glandular.

present or rarely flowers sessile.

sepals green or purplish, 1–3-veined, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, (3.5–)4–6.5 mm, not enlarging in fruit, margins broad, apex narrowly acute to acuminate, glabrous or stipitate-glandular;

petals yellowish white or sometimes brownish to reddish pink, broadly oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, 4–6.5 mm, 0.9–1.1 times as long as sepals, apex rounded;

nectaries narrowly longitudinally rectangular, apically cleft or emarginate, adjacent to filaments opposite sepals, 1–2 mm.

bisexual or seldom unisexual, sometimes inconspicuous;

perianth and androecium hypogynous or perigynous, often slightly;

hypanthium cup-, dish-, or disc-shaped;

sepals (4–)5, distinct or seldom connate basally, sometimes hooded, not awned;

petals absent or (1–)4–5, usually white, sometimes translucent, yellowish white, pink, or brownish, seldom clawed, auricles absent, coronal appendages absent, blade apex entire or 2-fid, sometimes jagged or emarginate, rarely laciniate;

stamens absent or (1–)5(–10), in 1 or 2 whorls, arising from base of ovary, a nectariferous disc, or sometimes the hypanthium or hypanthium rim;

staminodes absent or 1–5(–8);

ovary 1- or rarely 3-locular (Wilhelmsia);

styles (2–)3–5(–6), distinct;

stigmas (2–)3–5(–6).

capsules, or rarely utricles (Scleranthus), opening by (2–)3–6, occasionally 8 or 10 valves or (3 or) 6–10 teeth;

carpophore present or often absent.

4–6 mm, glabrous.

brown, ovoid to suborbicular with hilar notch, 1.2–1.7 mm, papillate, subechinate;

tubercles conical.

1–60+, yellowish or tan to dark red or often brown or black, usually reniform or triangular to circular and laterally compressed or ovoid to globose, rarely oblong and dorsiventrally compressed (Holosteum);

embryo usually peripheral and curved, rarely central and straight (Holosteum).

= 6–15, 17–19, 23.