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 to suberect at tips, terete, sparsely branched, 30–80 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, 0.05–0.1 × 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.

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 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, 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 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.

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.

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

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

= 32.

= 48.