Flora of North America species comparison

ascending or spreading.

exfoliating in sheets, strips, or strings.

ascending, spreading, or descending;

twigs with simple trichomes.

usually opposite, sometimes whorled [alternate], simple;

stipules absent;

petiole present or absent;

blade sometimes palmately lobed, margins entire, serrate, serrulate, dentate, denticulate, or crenate;

venation pinnate or acrodromous (Fendlera, Fendlerella, Philadelphus, Whipplea).

deciduous, opposite;

petiole present;

blade ovate or broadly ovate to obovate, rhombic, or suborbiculate, herbaceous, margins usually crenate to dentate, rarely entire, plane;

venation pinnate.

terminal or axillary, cymes, panicles, racemes, or corymbs, or flowers solitary.

terminal, cymes, 2–35-flowered, sometimes flowers solitary;

peduncle absent or present.

present.

bisexual [unisexual], or sometimes marginal ones sterile, radially symmetric (bisexual ones) or bilaterally symmetric with enlarged petaloid sepals (sterile ones);

perianth and androecium nearly hypogynous, perigynous, or epigynous;

hypanthium completely adnate to ovary or adnate to ovary proximally, free distally;

sepals 4–12, distinct or connate basally;

petals 4–12, connate basally [entirely, then calyptrate];

nectary usually present, rarely absent;

stamens 8–200, usually distinct, sometimes connate proximally, free;

anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits;

pistil 1, 2–12-carpellate, ovary less than 1/2 inferior, 1/2 inferior, or completely inferior, 1–12-locular, placentation usually axile proximally, parietal distally, rarely strictly axile or parietal;

ovules 1–50 per locule, anatropous;

styles 1–12, distinct or connate proximally to most of length;

stigmas (1–)2–12.

bisexual;

perianth and androecium perigynous;

hypanthium completely adnate to ovary, hemispheric, not ribbed in fruit;

sepals persistent, 4–5, erect, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, sparsely to densely strigose, canescent, or sericeous;

petals 4–5, imbricate, spreading, white or pink, obovate or oblanceolate, base clawed, sometimes obscurely, surfaces hairy;

stamens 8 or 10;

filaments distinct, dorsiventrally flattened, gradually or abruptly tapered from base to narrow apex, apex not 2-lobed;

anthers depressed-ovate;

pistil 3–5-carpellate, ovary to 1/2 inferior, partially 3–5-locular initially, becoming 1-locular;

placentation axile proximally, parietal distally;

styles persistent, (2–)3–5, distinct.

capsules [berries], dehiscence septicidal, loculicidal, interstylar, or intercostal.

ovoid or conic, indurate, dehiscence basipetally septicidal to middle of fruit.

1–50 per locule, funicular appendage present (Fendlerella, Whipplea) or absent.

25–50 per locule, orangish brown or tan, ellipsoid.

= 16.