Flora of North America species comparison

gradually ramified distally.

ascending to suberect, 10–12(–30) cm.

basal leaves evergreen, sessile or abruptly or gradually narrowed to broad petiole, blade oblanceolate, obovate, spatulate, or rarely ± linear or ± orbiculate, ± flattened, 3–14 cm, margins entire, crisped, or toothed, apex truncate, emarginate, retuse, or rounded;

cauline leaves alternate, intergrading with bracts, blade oblong to ovate, 5–10 mm, margins glandular-toothed, apex acute to occasionally obtuse.

opposite, subopposite, or alternate and sometimes secund, sometimes rosulate or subrosulate, exstipulate (except Portulaca and Talinopsis, with nodal or axillary hairs regarded as stipular);

blade margins mostly entire, occasionally dentate to crisped.

dense, paniculate to subumbellate cymes, 10–50-flowered;

bracts alternate or opposite proximally, 2 at each flowering node distally, obovate to lanceolate, 2–4 mm, margins glandular-toothed, apex acute.

axillary or terminal, cymose, racemose, paniculate, or umbellate, sometimes glomerate, spikelike, or with flowers solitary, open to congested.

pedicellate, not disarticulate in fruit;

sepals 2, suborbiculate to broadly ovate, 4–6 mm, herbaceous at anthesis, margins glandular-toothed, apex obtuse to truncate;

petals 7–10, usually pink-purple with pale and darker stripes, less often white, cream with pink-orange stripes, ± orange, or yellow, oblanceolate, obovate, or spatulate, (8–)12–20 mm;

stamens 5–12;

stigmas 2–4;

pedicel 2–5 mm.

mostly radially symmetric, sometimes slightly irregular (in Montia);

sepals 2–9;

petals (1–)2–19 or sometimes absent, distinct or connate basally;

stamens 1–many, opposite and sometimes basally adnate to petals;

gynoecium 2–9-carpelled;

ovary 1, superior (half-inferior to inferior in Portulaca), 1-locular throughout or initially plurilocular and becoming 1-locular distally (in Portulaca), placentation basal or free-central, ovules 1-many;

style present, sometimes branched, or absent;

stigmas 1–9.

capsular.

3–5 mm.

4–15, 1.5 mm, shiny, smooth.

smooth or sculptured, with or without strophioles or elaiosomes.

= 4–9, 11, 13, 15, 23.