Flora of North America species comparison

erect, 4-angled, rarely 4-winged, sometimes basally terete, 40–280 cm, simple to densely branched, branches often ascending, glabrous.

usually erect or ascending, rarely prostrate, slightly to distinctly winged, wings to 1.8 mm wide, unbranched to densely branched, 5–60 cm, glabrous.

stipules deltate, 0.2–0.3 × 0.15–0.2 mm;

petiole 0.2–2.2 cm, somewhat flattened and continuous with ridges or wings on stem;

blade elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, 2–20 × 0.2–4 cm, base cuneate, margins minutely scabrid, apex acute or acuminate, membranous, surfaces glabrous or sometimes minutely strigillose along abaxial veins;

bracts often reduced.

alternate;

stipules lanceolate-deltate, 0.13–0.15 × 0.1–0.13 mm;

stolons: petiole attenuate, 0.1–0.5 cm, blade broadly elliptic to suborbiculate, 0.2–0.7 × 0.2–0.5 cm;

stems: petiole winged, 0.1–0.5 cm, blade obovate-spatulate or oblanceolate, sometimes narrowly oblanceolate-elliptic, 0.4–1.7 × 0.15–1 cm, base attenuate, margins subentire or often with hydathodal glands forming minute teeth, or minutely papillose-strigillose, apex acute or mucronate, surfaces glabrous;

leaves on side branches much reduced, glabrous;

bracts near apex and on branches reduced.

leafy spikes, flowers solitary in distal axils;

bracteoles attached at base of ovary or on lower 1/2, without subtending glands, deltate, 0.3–0.5 × 0.2–0.3 mm, apex acute.

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

bracteoles attached at base of ovary, sublinear or narrowly oblong, 0.4–1.2(–1.5) × 0.1–0.4 mm, usually with swollen base.

sepals ovate or lanceolate, 3–6 × 1–2 mm, apex acute or short-acuminate, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes strigillose;

petals obovate, 3.5–5 × 2–2.5 mm;

stamens 8 in 2 subequal series, filaments 1.3–1.5 mm, anthers oblong, 0.6–1 × 0.4–0.5 mm;

ovary obconic, 4-angled, 4–10 × 2–4 mm, usually glabrous, rarely strigillose;

nectary disc plane on ovary apex, 3–4 mm diam., 4-lobed, glabrate;

style 0.5–1.5 × 0.5–0.6 mm, stigma globose, 0.8–1 × 1–1.2 mm, not exserted beyond anthers and pollen shed directly on it.

sepals ascending or spreading, pale green to cream adaxially, ovate-deltate, 0.9–2 × 1–1.9 mm, margins minutely papillose-strigillose or entire, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous;

petals 0;

filaments translucent, 0.4–0.55 mm, anthers 0.1–0.2 × 0.2–0.3 mm;

pollen shed singly;

ovary pale green, obovoid-subglobose, 0.8–1 × 0.8–1.2 mm, glabrate;

nectary disc nearly flat on ovary apex, light green, 0.5–1.2 mm diam., 4-lobed, glabrous;

style light green, 0.3–0.6 mm, glabrous, stigma subcapitate, 0.15–0.3 × 0.05–0.15 mm, not exserted beyond anthers.

oblong-linear to squarish-cylindric, 4-angled, 10–22 × 2–4 mm, thin-walled, irregularly dehiscent, subsessile.

obconic, subterete, 1–1.5 × 1.4–1.9 mm, thin-walled, seeds often visible as bumps, dehiscent by apical ring, pedicel 0–0.2 mm.

elongate-ovoid, 0.3–0.5 × 0.2–0.3 mm, raphevery reduced and inconspicuous.

dark reddish brown, oblong-ovoid, 0.5–0.6 × 0.3–0.4 mm, surface cells transversely elongate, glabrous or, sometimes, densely covered by waxy hairs.

= 16.

= 16.