Flora of North America species comparison

floating or creeping and ascending to erect, terete, 10–100(–300) cm, simple or branched, glabrous or sparsely to densely villous, hairs sometimes viscid on emergent distal stem.

prostrate or decumbent and ascending distally, slightly ridged, well branched, 10–40cm, densely strigillose throughout.

stipules broadly ovate-deltate, 0.6–1.6 × 0.4–1 mm, succulent, apex acute or obtuse, gland-tipped, rarely divided into 3 parts;

petiole flattened or narrowly winged, 0.2–6 cm;

blade narrowly oblong or elliptic to ovate, broadly obovate, or orbiculate, (0.4–)1–10 × 0.4–4 cm, base narrowly cuneate or attenuate, margins entire, apex obtuse or rounded to acute, sometimes mucronate or glandular-mucronate, surfaces of floating leaves glabrous, those of emergent leaves glabrous to sparsely or densely strigillose at least adaxially;

bracts scarcely reduced.

opposite;

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

petiole very narrowly winged, 0.3–0.9 cm, blade elliptic-spatulate or narrowly so, 0.9–1.7 × 0.3–0.9 cm, base attenuate, margins entire, apex acute, surfaces strigillose;

bracts not reduced except at branch tips.

on emergent stems sometimes in leafy racemes, flowers solitary in leaf axils;

bracteoles (rarely absent), deltate, squamate, 0.5–1 × 0.5–1 mm, apex acute, attached near base or on lower 1/2 of ovary.

leafy spikes or racemes, flowers usually paired in leaf axils;

bracteoles attached at base of ovary or on short pedicel, narrowly oblong or oblanceolate, 0.2–0.8 × 0.05–0.2 mm, apex acute, often obscured by hairs.

sepals narrowly deltate or lanceolate, 3–12 × 1.5–4 mm, apex acute or acuminate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely to densely hirtellous;

petals yellow, obpyramidal,7–24 × 4–13 mm, apex mucronate or emarginate, up-curved;

stamens 10(or 12), in 2 unequal series, bright yellow, filaments suberect or reflexed, shorter ones 1.4–4.2 mm, longer ones (1.9–)3.3–6 mm, anthers oblong, 0.5–2.2 mm;

ovary subcylindric or truncate, 6–20 × 1.5–3 mm, apex somewhat broader, glabrous or sparsely to densely hirtellous;

nectary disc slightly raised on ovary apex, 2–2.5 mm diam., lobed, glabrous or fringed with long hairs;

style (1.9–)2.4–7.3 mm, glabrous or sparsely to densely hirtellous on proximal 1/2, stigma flattened-globose, 0.9–1.2 × 1–2.5 mm, sometimes shallowly or deeply 5-lobed, as long as or exserted beyond anthers.

sepals ascending, pale green, broadly ovate-deltate, 1–1.7 × 1.1–1.7 mm, margins entire, apex acuminate, surfaces densely strigillose;

petals 0;

filaments translucent, 0.5–0.8 mm, anthers 0.2–0.4 × 0.3–0.5 mm;

pollen shed singly;

ovary oblong-obovoid, 4-angled to subterete, 1.5–2.5 × 1–1.5 mm;

nectary disc elevated 0.1–0.2 mm on ovary apex, yellowish green, 0.7–0.9 mm diam., 4-lobed, glabrous;

style yellowish green, 0.3–0.5 mm, glabrous, stigma pale yellow, capitate, 0.2–0.3 × 0.2–0.3 mm, not exserted beyond anthers.

cylindric, subterete to obscurely 5-angled, straight or curved, 10–40 × 2–4 mm, with thick woody walls, irregularly and tardily dehiscent, pedicel 7–60(–90) mm.

oblong-obovoid, subterete, 2.5–4(–4.5) × 1.5–2.5 mm, thin-walled, seeds often visible on exocarp as small bumps, irregularly dehiscent or dispersing as unit, pedicel 0–0.5 mm.

embedded in elongated piece of endocarp, 1–1.5 × 0.9–1.3 mm.

dark reddish brown, ellipsoid, 0.5–0.7 × 0.4–0.5 mm, surface cells transversely elongate.

= 16.

= 32.