Flora of North America species comparison

erect to arching;

twigs hairy, sometimes glabrescent (sometimes also lepidote).

erect, arching, spreading, creeping, or procumbent.

deciduous or persistent;

blade elliptic, obovate, or ovate, membranous to coriaceous, margins entire, undulate, or serrulate [irregularly serrate], plane or revolute, surfaces multicellular, peltate-scaled or short-stalked stipitate-glandular-hairy, often unicellular-hairy on major veins or abaxial surface;

venation brochidodromous (or reticulodromous).

deciduous or persistent, alternate, sometimes pseudoverticillate (Pieris);

petiole usually present, sometimes absent (some species of Vaccinium);

blade plane, abaxial groove absent.

axillary fascicles, panicles, or racemes, (2–)5–8(–12)-flowered, sometimes flowers solitary, (produced just before flowering).

usually axillary, sometimes terminal, usually panicles or racemes, sometimes corymbs or fascicles, sometimes solitary flowers, (borne on leafy twigs, except Zenobia on leafless twigs);

perulae absent;

bracts much shorter than sepals (sometimes absent).

bracteoles 2, at or near base.

sepals usually [4–]5[–8], slightly connate, ovate-deltate to lanceolate;

petals usually [4–]5[–8], connate nearly their entire lengths, white to red, corolla cylindric to urceolate, lobes much shorter than tube, (sparsely stipitate-glandular-hairy or peltate-scaled);

stamens usually [8–]10[–16], included;

filaments geniculate, flattened, roughened or hairy, with or without spurs;

anthers without awns, dehiscent by elliptic pores;

pistil usually [4–]5[–8]-carpellate;

ovary [4–]5[–8]-locular; (style slightly longer than stamens);

stigma capitate-truncate.

pendulous;

perianth and androecium hypogynous or epigynous (Gaylussacia, Vaccinium);

sepals (4-)5[-8];

petals 4-5(-6), connate (rarely distinct or nearly so in some species of Vaccinium), corolla deciduous, campanulate, cylindric, or urceolate, lobes usually much shorter (sometimes longer) than tube;

intrastaminal nectary disc absent or present;

stamens 8-10[-16];

anthers dehiscent by terminal pores or short slits;

ovary 5- or 10-locular;

placentation axile;

style straight.

capsular, globose to ovoid or ellipsoid, dry, (with [4–]5[–8] pale, decidedly thickened, whitish sutures).

capsular, dehiscence loculicidal, or baccate or drupaceous, indehiscent.

ca. 100–300, ellipsoidal, narrowly oblong, obovoid to angular-obovoid or narrowly conic, (sometimes tailed);

testa cells elongate.

2-300, distinct, ovoid or obovoid to ellipsoid, lanceoloid, or conic, to angular or wedge- or crescent-shaped, usually not winged, sometimes slightly winged or tailed.

= 12.