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.

erect, slightly ridged, unbranched or slightly branched, (16–)30–90 cm, glabrous or strigillose to hirtellous, especially on distal parts.

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.

alternate;

stipules deltate, 0.25–0.45 × 0.15–0.4 mm;

rhizomes: sessile, blades minute, appressed, and scalelike, oblate or suborbiculate, 0.3–0.6 × 0.6–0.9 mm;

stolons: petiole 0.1–0.6 cm, blade oblong or oblanceolate-elliptic to spatulate, 0.4–3.5 × 0.2–1.5 cm;

main stem: sessile, blade lanceolate-elliptic or lanceolate-linear to linear, 2.5–9.5 × (0.1–)0.3–0.9 cm, proximal ones shorter and often oblong or oblong-lanceolate, base rounded or obtuse, margins entire with obscure hydathodal glands, apex acuminate to acute, surfaces glabrous or, sometimes, pilose on proximal blades;

bracts very 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.

densely clustered, terminal racemes or spikes, 1–5(–12) cm;

bracteoles attached at base of ovary or on pedicel distally, narrowly lanceolate, 3.5–5(–6) × (1.2–)1.4–2 mm, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes pilose abaxially.

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, pale green or white adaxially, broadly ovate-deltate, 2.3–3.5(–4) × 2.3–3.2(–3.8) mm, margins entire, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous;

petals 0;

filaments yellow or cream, 1.2–2 mm, distinctly dilated toward base, anthers 0.7–1(–1.3) × 0.5–0.7 mm;

pollen shed in tetrads;

ovary broadly obovoid or cup-shaped, 2.2–3 × 2.3–3.3 mm;

nectary disc elevated 0.5–0.6 mm on ovary apex, pale yellow, 1.8–3.1 mm diam., obscurely 4-lobed, glabrous;

style pale yellow, 0.9–1.7 mm, glabrous, stigma pale green to white, globose to capitate, 0.4–0.8 × 0.5–0.8 mm, distinctly 4-lobed, 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.

broadly obpyramidal, angles rounded, sometimes subspherical, 2.5–4.3 ×2.5–4.5(–5) mm, hard-walled, dehiscent by apical ring, pedicel 0.5–1.5(–2) 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.

brown, elliptic-oblong, curved on both ends, 0.5–0.6 × 0.2–0.3 mm, surface cells ± isodiametric.

= 32.

= 32.