Flora of North America species comparison

usually erect, sometimes ascending, usually well-branched from base, sometimes also distally, with white or reddish green exfoliating epidermis.

usually well branched at base and distally, 3–65 cm, usually flowering only distally.

cauline, proximal ones often clustered near base, alternate;

stipules absent;

petiolate, often subsessile distally;

blade margins denticulate, crenate-dentate, serrulate, sinuate-toothed, or entire.

cauline, sometimes with lower ones clustered near base, these often withered by flowering, 1–11(–13) × 0.2–2.2(–3) cm;

petiole 0–6 cm;

blade very narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, margins denticulate, serrulate, sinuate-toothed, or subentire.

spikes, erect or nodding at anthesis, or flowers also in proximal leaf axils in some taxa.

nodding.

bisexual, actinomorphic, buds erect;

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

sepals 4, reflexed singly or in pairs;

petals 4, usually white, rarely red or tinged red, without spots, fading pink or red;

stamens 8 in 2 unequal series, episepalous ones rarely abortive (E. minor), anthers versatile, pollen shed singly;

ovary 4-locular, without apical projection, style villous near base, strigillose, or glabrous, stigma entire, subglobose, surface unknown, probably wet and non-papillate.

opening at sunset;

floral tube (2–)3–8 mm, villous in proximal 1/2 inside;

sepals (2.7–)4–8 mm;

petals usually white fading pink, rarely red and fading red, (3–)3.5–9 mm; episepalous filaments (1.5–)2–5.8 mm, epipetalous filaments slightly shorter, anthers (1–)1.8–2.3 mm;

style (6.5–)8.2–13.5(–15) mm, villous near base, stigma 1.2–2 mm diam., exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

a capsule, straight or much contorted, narrowly cylindrical throughout or thickened proximally, terete or 4-angled, regularly but tardily loculicidal;

sessile.

cylindrical and thickened proximally, spreading to curved downward, contorted to straight, terete or 4-angled, 8–35 × 0.9–3.8 mm, held on dried plants and regularly but tardily dehiscent.

numerous, in 1 row per locule, usually monomorphic and narrowly obovoid to oblanceoloid, sometimes dimorphic, with seeds near base of capsule sharply angular and truncate-ellipsoid, finely reticulate, or seeds near base of capsule coarsely papillose.

usually dimorphic, rarely monomorphic, those with relatively smooth surfaces light brown, 1.4–2.1 × 0.5–0.7 mm, those of lower portion dark brown, 1.4–2.1 × 0.6–0.9 mm, coarsely papillose.

= 14.