Flora of North America species comparison

prostrate to decumbent, to 1(–1.5) m, sericeous and sparingly hirsute with white or yellow antrorse hairs, becoming glabrate.

obovate in outline, 1–6 × 1.5–5 cm;

stipules 3–5 × 1 mm;

leaflets 6–8(–12), broadly oblong to elliptic, 5–29 × 3–14 mm, terminal pair usually largest, surfaces appressed-hirsute to glabrate, veins and margins sericeous.

opposite or fascicled [alternate or on short lateral branches], palmately or even- [odd-]pinnately compound [simple];

stipules present;

petiole present [absent];

blade often fleshy or coriaceous, margins entire;

venation pinnate.

pseudoaxillary [terminal], flowers solitary or in 2-flowered clusters [cymes].

10–50 mm in flower and fruit, at first shorter than subtending leaves, equaling them or longer in fruit, little thickened distally, straight or curved.

7–25 mm diam.;

sepals persistent, ovate, 3–8 × 2–3 mm, as long as or little shorter than petals, in flower as long as style, in fruit clasping but not entirely covering mature fruit body and shorter than beak, only scarious margins becoming involute, hirsute;

petals marcescent, usually ± 2-colored, basally usually white to yellow-green or green, rarely red (often brighter than distal portion), fading white to bright orange, distally white to yellow or pale orange, obovate, 5–12 × 4–10 mm;

stamens as long as style;

anthers yellow or red-orange, usually ovoid, rarely linear, 1 mm;

ovary ovoid, 1 mm, usually glabrous, sometimes strigose at base, rarely to base of style;

style cylindric but slightly conic basally, 2–3 mm, 2–3 times as long as ovary, glabrous;

stigma terminal.

bisexual [unisexual], usually regular, sometimes slightly irregular;

perianth and androecium hypogynous;

hypanthium absent;

sepals 4–5, usually distinct, rarely connate basally;

petals 4–5, distinct [rarely connate basally], often clawed, sometimes twisted;

nectary usually present, extrastaminal and/or intrastaminal, rarely absent;

stamens [5–](8–)10 in 2 whorls, outer usually opposite petals, often alternately unequal in length or sterile, distinct, free or adnate to petal bases, inserted on or proximal to nectary, frequently glandular or appendaged at base;

anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits;

pistil 1, (2–)5-carpellate, ovary superior, (2–)5–10-locular;

placentation axile [basal];

ovules (1–)2–10 per locule, anatropous;

style 1;

stigma 1.

capsules, dehiscence septicidal or loculicidal, or schizocarps splitting into 5 or 10 mericarps.

1–5(–10) per locule.

ovoid, 5–6 mm diam., usually glabrous, sometimes strigose at base or rarely to base of beak;

beak cylindric, 3–7 mm, usually as long as fruit body, base widely conic, glabrous;

mericarps 3–4 × 1 mm, abaxially tuberculate, cross-ridged, or slightly keeled, tubercles if present all rounded, less than 1 mm, sides pitted, adaxial edge angled.