Flora of North America species comparison

erect, slightly ridged, usually well branched, 10–80(–100) cm, glabrate or often with strigillose raised lines decurrent from leaf axils.

prostrate, ascending or erect at tips, terete, well branched, 20–70 cm, glabrous or, sometimes, minutely strigillose on leaf margins and inflorescence.

alternate;

stipules ovate-triangular, 0.15–0.35 × 0.05–0.25 mm, succulent;

stolons: petiole attenuate, 0.3–1 cm, blade narrowly elliptic, 1.5–3.5(–5.5) × 0.5–1.3(–2) cm;

main stem: petiole 0–1.5 cm, blade usually narrowly elliptic to elliptic, sometimes linear, 3–12 × 0.3–2.1 cm, base attenuate, margins subentire with hydathodal glands often visible, apex acute to very narrowly acute, surfaces densely papillose-strigillose, abaxial veins glabrous or sparingly, minutely strigillose;

leaves on side branches usually reduced, 0.8–4.5 ×0.2–1 cm;

bracts much reduced.

opposite;

stipules narrowly deltate, 0.05–0.15 × 0.05–0.1 mm;

petiole narrowly winged, 0.2–0.8 cm, blades on submerged stems linear, 3.2–4.7 × 0.2–0.3 cm, those on emergent ones oblanceolate-elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate, (0.7–)1–1.7(–2) × 0.2–0.7(–1.1) cm, base very narrowly cuneate or attenuate, margins entire, apex acute;

bracts not reduced.

open, leafy racemes or spikes, flowers solitary in axils, often congested, especially on branches;

bracteoles attached on pedicel at base of ovary or to 2 mm distal to base, narrowly lanceolate to sublinear, 0.4–1 × 0.1–0.4 mm, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrate.

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

bracteoles attached in opposite pairs at base of ovary or on pedicel distally, linear, 1–3(–4.5) × 0.1–0.7 mm, apex acuminate.

sepals ascending, light green, ovate-deltate, 1.1–2.3 × 1–1.8 mm, margins entire, fringed with minute, strigillose hairs, apex short-acuminate or acute, surfaces glabrous;

petals 0;

filaments nearly translucent, 0.6–1.1 mm, anthers 0.3–0.5 × 0.3–0.6 mm;

pollen shed in tetrads;

ovary subcylindric, 2–5 × 0.8–1.9 mm;

nectary disc elevated 0.3–0.4 mm on ovary apex, light green, 0.6–1.8 mm diam., 4-lobed, glabrous or minutely papillose;

style pale green, 0.3–0.8 mm, glabrous, stigma broadly clavate to subglobose, 0.2–0.5 × 0.2–0.5 mm, not exserted beyond anthers.

sepals slightly reflexed at anthesis, ascending in fruit, light green, ovate-deltate or narrowly so, (3.5–)4–5(–6) × 1.7–3 mm, with 3 parallel veins, margins strigillose and finely serrulate, apex narrowly acute to elongate-acuminate, surfaces glabrous;

petals sometimes caducous, oblong-spatulate, 4.5–5.5 × 1.5–3 mm, base attenuate, apex obtuse;

filaments spreading, pale cream, 1.8–2.5 mm, anthers 0.7–1 × 0.5–0.7 mm;

pollen shed in very loose tetrads;

ovary obconic-cylindric, subterete or scarcely 4-angled, 3–5 × 2–2.5 mm;

nectary disc elevated 0.5–0.7 mm on ovary apex, bright yellow, 1.7–2.3 mm diam., 4-lobed, glabrate;

style cream, 1.1–1.7 mm, stigma cream, broadly capitate, 0.4–0.6 × 0.5–0.8 mm, often exserted beyond spreading stamens.

subcylindric, subterete to obscurely 4-angled with 4 shallow grooves, 2–8(–9) × 1.3–2(–3) mm, hard-walled, irregularly dehiscent, pedicel 0–0.3(–0.5) mm.

clavate, subterete to obscurely 4-angled, sometimes slightly curved, 6–10.5 × 2.5–4 mm, hard-walled, irregularly dehiscent, pedicel (4.5–)6–15(–20) mm.

light brown, kidney-shaped with slightly pointed ends, 0.5–0.8 × 0.3–0.4 mm, surface cells columnar, elongate either parallel or transversely to seed length.

light to dark brown, ellipsoid, 0.6–0.7 × 0.3–0.5 mm, surface cells transversely elongate.

= 32.

= 48.