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.

prostrate, ascending to suberect at tips, terete, sparsely branched, 30–80 cm, glabrous or, sometimes, minutely strigillose on leaf margins and inflorescence.

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.

opposite;

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

petiole narrowly winged, 0.3–2.3 cm, blade narrowly elliptic to broadly lanceolate-elliptic or suborbiculate, 0.8–4.5 × 0.4–2.7 cm, base attenuate, margins entire or sometimes with hydathodal glands, apex acute or apiculate, rarely obtuse, surfaces lustrous, subglabrous or sparingly to densely papillose strigillose;

bracts not much 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.

sometimes few-flowered, erect racemes, flowers paired in leaf axils of prostrate stems;

bracteoles attached in opposite pairs to pedicel 1–5 mm proximal to base of ovary, lanceolate to narrowly oblong-lanceolate or sublinear, 1–5(–8) × 0.2–1 mm, apex acute, surfaces sparingly minutely strigillose.

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 ascending, light green, ovate deltate to narrowly so, 1.8–5 × 1.5–3.5 mm, margins minutely strigillose, apex acuminate to elongate-acuminate, surfaces subglabrous;

petals caducous, oblanceolate to elliptic-oblong, 1.1–3 × 0.4–1.4 mm, base attenuate, apex obtuse, often variable in size and shape in same flower;

filaments pale yellow, 0.5–1.5 mm, slightly inflated near base, anthers 0.4–0.9 × 0.3–0.8 mm;

pollen shed singly or in tetrads;

ovary obconic-cylindric, barely 4-angled to subterete, 2–6 × 2.5–3.5 mm;

nectary disc elevated 0.3–0.8 mm on ovary apex, yellow, 1.1–3 mm diam., 4-lobed, glabrous;

style pale yellow, 0.6–0.9 mm, glabrous, stigma pale yellow, broadly capitate, 0.3–0.5 × 0.3–0.8 mm, usually not 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.

elongate-obpyramidal, 4-angled, corners sometimes rounded, 4–10 × 2.5–4 mm, hard-walled, irregularly dehiscent, pedicel 0.1–3 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.

yellowish brown, ellipsoid, 0.6–0.8 × 0.3–0.5 mm, surface cells transversely elongate.

= 64.

= 48.