Flora of North America species comparison

erect to spreading, terete or sometimes ridged, 60–250(–400) cm, densely branched, densely villous to glabrate, especially near base.

erect, slightly ridged, well branched, (40–)60–110 cm, densely strigillose or glabrous.

stipules deltate, 0.5–0.8 × 0.6–0.7 mm, fleshy;

petiole 0–1 cm;

blade linear to oblong or oblanceolate, sometimes narrowly ovate, 0.7–14.5 × 0.1–4 cm, base tapered, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces ± densely villous or strigillose;

bracts not or scarcely reduced.

alternate;

stipules lanceolate-deltate, 0.1–0.4 × 0.1–0.2 mm;

stolons: petiole ± winged, 0.1–0.3 cm, blade narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate or spatulate, 0.9–3 × 0.4–0.8(–1.3) cm, base attenuate, margins subentire with hydathodal glands, apex acute or obtuse;

stems: petiole 0.1–0.4(–1) cm, blade narrowly elliptic or lanceolate to sublinear, on main stem (2.6–)6–10 × 0.5–1.1(–1.6) cm, on branches 2–5(–6) × 0.3–0.5(–0.6) cm, base attenuate or narrowly cuneate, margins entire with hydathodal glands mainly on primary cauline leaves, apex acute to very narrowly acute, surfaces glabrous or densely strigillose;

bracts not much reduced.

open, leafy racemes, flowers solitary in axils, presentation often radial;

bracteoles ovate, 3–8 × 1.4–4 mm, apex acuminate, attached near base of ovary.

open, leafy racemes, more congested on branches, flowers solitary in leaf axils;

bracteoles attached in subopposite pairs near base of ovary, usually linear to very narrowly lanceolate, rarely lanceolate, 0.5–1.5 × 0.1–0.3 mm, apex acuminate.

sepals lanceolate to ovate, (6–)8–13 × 3–7 mm, apex acuminate, surfaces strigillose adaxially;

petals bright yellow, fan-shaped, (5–)10–20 × 5–20 mm, apex sometimes shallowly notched;

stamens 8 in 2 subequal series, yellowish white, filaments spreading, 4–6 mm, anthers oblong, 2.5–5 × 1–2 mm;

pollen shed in tetrads or sometimes polyads;

ovary cylindric, 4-angled, sometimes slightly twisted, 8–22 × 1–3 mm;

nectary disc elevated 0.4–0.5 mm on ovary apex, 1–2.4 mm diam., with 4 white-pubescent sunken lobes opposite petals;

style 2.5–3.5 mm, stigma capitate-globose, 1.8–3.5 × 2.5–3.5 mm, surrounded by anthers and pollen shed directly on it.

sepals ascending, yellow or cream adaxially, ovate-deltate, 2–3.5(–4) × 1.6–3(–3.3) mm, margins entire, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous or densely strigillose;

petals 0;

filaments yellow, 1–1.7 mm, slightly dilated toward base, anthers 0.5–0.8 × 0.4–0.7 mm;

pollen shed in tetrads;

ovary broadly obovoid or cup-shaped, 1.5–3.5 × 2–3 mm;

nectary disc elevated 0.4–0.6 mm on ovary apex, bright yellow, 1.5–3 mm diam., 4-lobed, glabrous or short-hirtellous between lobes;

style yellow, 0.6–1(–1.3) mm, glabrous or strigillose proximally, stigma yellow, capitate to subglobose, 0.3–0.5 × 0.4–0.7 mm, not exserted beyond anthers.

cylindric to clavate-cylindric, subterete to ± 4-angled, 17–50 × 2.5–8 mm, thin-walled, irregularly dehiscent by 4–8 linear valves splitting from apex, short-villous, pedicel 5–25 mm.

sometimes tinged pink, subglobose, subterete, 2–4(–4.5) × 2–4 mm, hard-walled, irregularly dehiscent, pedicel 0.5–1.2(–2.3) mm.

in several indistinct rows per locule, broad-cylindric with rounded ends, 0.6–0.9 × 0.5–0.8 mm, raphe inflated and nearly equal to seed body.

brown to light brown, elliptic, 0.4–0.7 × 0.3–0.4 mm, surface cells transversely elongate to seed length, sometimes oblique.

= [16], 32, 48.

= 32.