Flora of North America species comparison

fusiform, fascicled, thickened, epidermis splitting or peeling near base.

erect or ascending at base, very rarely prostrate, unbranched to well branched, branches sometimes very slender, 15–75 cm, glabrous, with slightly raised lines decurrent from leaf axils.

subterete or somewhat angled, with narrow raised lines or wings decurrent from leaf axils, 40–150 cm, well branched in distal 1/2, glabrous or sparsely to densely strigillose.

alternate;

stipules reddish purple, narrowly ovate, 0.2–0.3 × 0.1–0.3 mm, succulent;

petiole winged, 0.3–1.2 cm, blade usually oblanceolate-spatulate to spatulate or oblanceolate, rarely sublinear, 1–2.5(–3) × 0.1–0.8 cm, base attenuate, margins subentire with hydathodal glands, apex acute or mucronate, surfaces glabrous;

bracts not reduced.

stipules narrowly deltate, 0.05–0.2 × 0.05–0.1 mm;

petiole 0.1–0.3(–0.7) cm;

blade lanceolate-elliptic, (0.6–)2–12 × (0.3–)1–1.5(–2.5) cm, base attenuate, margins entire, apex acute, surfaces strigillose throughout or glabrate with strigillose veins;

bracts often reduced and more linear.

usually not congested, leafy racemes or spikes, flowers solitary in leaf axils;

bracteoles attached in opposite pairs near base of ovary, narrowly lanceolate, lanceolate-elliptic, or oblong-linear, 1.5–3.5(–4) × 0.4–0.8 mm, swollen at base, apex acuminate.

leafy racemes, flowers solitary in leaf axils;

bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 1–2.5 mm, margins entire, apex acute or subacuminate, glabrous or with scattered hairs, attached near base of ovary.

sepals ascending, green fading to white near base, ovate-deltate, 1.5–3 × 1.2–2 mm, margins entire, apex narrowly acute or acuminate, surfaces glabrous;

petals 0(–3), narrowly elliptic or spatulate, 1–2.5 × 0.5–1 mm, base attenuate, apex obtuse;

filaments pale yellow, 0.8–1(–1.3) mm, anthers 0.3–0.6 × 0.3–0.5 mm;

pollen shed singly;

ovary obovate-obpyramidal, 2–2.5 × 1.8–2.3 mm, glabrous;

nectary disc elevated 0.3–0.4 mm on ovary apex, green, 0.9–1.6 mm diam., prominently 4-lobed, glabrous;

style pale green, 0.4–0.7 mm, glabrous, stigma pale yellow, subglobose, 0.3–0.4 × 0.2–0.4 mm, not exserted beyond anthers.

sepals narrowly ovate-deltate, (6–)6.5–9.5 × 4–6.5 mm, margins entire, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces strigillose, sometimes mixed with villous hairs, or glabrate;

petals cordate, 10–14 ×8–12 mm, base attenuate, apex emarginate;

filaments opaque white, awl-shaped, 1–3 mm, anthers 1–1.7 × 0.6–0.8 mm;

ovary subcuboid to globose, 2.5–4 ×2.5–3.5 mm;

nectary disc slightly elevated on ovary apex, 0.8–1.5 mm diam., 4-lobed, ringed with soft, curly hairs or glabrous;

style 1.5–2.4 mm, glabrous, stigma light yellow, capitate to hemispherical, 1–1.3 × 1.4–2 mm, shallowly 4-lobed, not or scarcely exserted beyond anthers.

obconic, obscurely 4-angled, (2–)2.5–4(–4.7) × 2–3(–3.5) mm, hard-walled, dehiscent by loculicidal slits, pedicel 0.1–0.5 mm.

subcuboid to squarish globose, 4–6(–7) × 4–6 mm, 4-angled and 4-winged, wings 0.3–1.5 mm wide, pedicel 2–7 mm.

light brown, ellipsoid, 0.4–0.6 × 0.3–0.4 mm, surface cells transversely elongate, glabrous or, sometimes, with surface wax that mimics appressed hairs.

light brown, oblong to reniform, 0.5–0.8 × 0.2–0.4 mm, surface cells elongate transversely to seed length.

= 64.

= 16.