Flora of North America species comparison

usually 1;

bark (trunk) grayish, with fine tan to dark gray striations, ± smooth; short shoots absent; unarmed;

young stems puberulent.

persistent, cauline, simple;

stipules variably persistent, free, minute, margins unknown, apex gland-tipped;

petiole present;

blade ± elliptic to narrowly elliptic or narrowly oblong, 5–15(–20) cm, leathery, margins revolute, sharply, remotely serrate, venation pinnate (craspedodromous-brochidodromous), surfaces tomentose when young, glabrescent.

alternate, sometimes opposite, simple, sometimes pinnately compound;

stipules present or absent.

terminal, 20–150-flowered, panicles, ± dome-shaped, white-tomentose;

bracts present on proximal nodes, leaflike, plus numerous, scalelike appendages on axes;

bracteoles present caducous, delicate.

present.

perianth and androecium epigynous, 10 mm diam.;

hypanthium urceolate, 2–4 mm, glabrous or weakly floccose;

sepals 5, suberect, triangular;

petals 5, white, irregularly round, base weakly clawed;

stamens 10, shorter than petals;

carpels 2 or 3, distinct, basally adnate to hypanthium, styles 2 or 3, lateral, distinct;

ovules 2.

torus absent or minute;

carpels 1–5(–8), distinct or +/- connate (Maleae), free or +/- adnate to hypanthium (many Maleae), styles distinct or +/- connate (some Maleae);

ovules (1 or)2(–5+), collateral, clustered, or biseriate.

pomes, usually bright red, sometimes yellow, ellipsoid, 5–10 mm, glabrous or glabrate;

flesh mealy;

hypanthium persistent;

sepals persistent, accrescent over hypanthial opening.

follicles aggregated or not, capsules, drupes aggregated or not, aggregated drupelets, pomes, or aggregated nutlets, rarely achenes or aggregated achenes;

styles persistent or deciduous, not elongate (elongate in Gillenieae).

2 or 3 per fruit, carpel walls thin, soft;

styles not persistent;

seeds 1 per pyrene, large.

= 8, 9, 15, 17.