Flora of North America species comparison

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.

usually ridged, rarely succulent, profusely branched, 100–400 cm, usually villous, rarely glabrous, hairs deciduous in age, multicellular, usually tawny.

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 deciduous, narrowly deltate, 1–1.5 × 0.3–0.5 mm, setaceous;

petiole 0–1.5 cm;

blade usually lanceolate, elliptic or broadly elliptic, sometimes ovate, obovate, or rounded, 2–45 × 1–10 cm, base obtuse or cuneate, rarely asymmetrical, margins entire or gland-toothed, apex usually acute or acuminate, rarely rounded and emarginate, mostly scabrid, membranous or papery, surfaces usually villous, sometimes glabrous;

bracts usually not strongly reduced.

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 distal axils;

bracteoles deciduous, usually attached near base or on lower 1/2 of ovary, sometimes on upper pedicel, subtended by reduced, glandlike stipels, ovate or lanceolate to linear, 5–20 × 1–6 mm, apex acute or short-acuminate, surfaces villous.

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 ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 10–23 × 4–9 mm, apex acute or short-acuminate, sometimes glandular-serrulate;

petals bright yellow, orbiculate or obovate, 10–40 × 10–40 mm, apex rarely emarginate, short-clawed;

stamens 8(or 10) in 2 unequal series, yellow, shorter filaments 1.5–4 mm, longer ones 3.5–5 mm, anthers oblong, 3–6 mm;

ovary obconic, 4- or 5-angled, sometimes subterete, 5–20 × 3–7 mm, narrowed to pedicel, usually densely villous, sometimes glabrous;

nectary disc elevated 0.3–3.2 mm on ovary apex, 4–6 mm diam., 4(or 5)-lobed, sunken, ringed by long, white hairs;

style 1.5–3.5 mm, stigma globose, 1.6–3.5 × 1.8–3.5 mm, usually as long as stamens, rarely exserted beyond them.

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.

± sharply 4- or 5-angled, 10–40 × 6–13 mm, thin-walled, irregularly dehiscent, pedicel 5–65 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.

brown or reddish brown, oblong, 0.6–0.9 × 0.3–0.4 mm, rounded at ends, with inconspicuous raphe.

= 64.

= 64, 80, 96, 128.