Flora of North America species comparison

(if present), usually unbranched, rarely with 1–several short laterals, 4–8 cm.

erect to decumbent or prostrate.

(6.8–)9.5–23(–32) × (1.3–)2.4–4.5(–6.5) cm;

petiole (3–)4–11(–14) cm;

blade oblanceolate to spatulate, margins often undulate, usually regularly to irregularly dentate, rarely coarsely and irregularly pinnately lobed.

usually deciduous, usually alternate or opposite, sometimes whorled, simple, usually cauline, sometimes basal and forming rosettes;

stipules present, intrapetiolar, usually caducous, relatively small, or absent (tribes Epilobieae and Onagreae);

sessile or subsessile to petiolate;

blade margins usually entire, toothed, or pinnately lobed, rarely bipinnately lobed.

axillary, flowers solitary, leafy spikes, racemes, or panicles.

floral tube (45–)75–110(–153) mm;

sepals (22–)30–45(–50) mm;

petals fading pink to pale rose, (21–)35–43(–50) mm;

filaments (16–)19–28(–35) mm, anthers (10–)12–17 mm;

style 85–180 mm.

usually bisexual, (protandrous in Chamaenerion, Clarkia, Epilobium, [and most species of Lopezia]; protogynous in Circaea and Fuchsia), sometimes unisexual (gynodioecious or dioecious, [subdioecious]), usually actinomorphic, sometimes zygomorphic, (2–)4(–7)-merous;

perianth and androecium epigynous;

sepals persistent after anthesis (in Ludwigia), or all flower parts deciduous after anthesis;

floral tube present or absent in Chamaenerion, Ludwigia, [and most species of Lopezia];

sepals usually green or red, rarely pink or purple, valvate;

petals present, rarely absent, often fading darker with age, imbricate or convolute, sometimes clawed;

nectary present;

stamens 2 times as many as sepals and in 2 series, antisepalous set usually longer, rarely all equal (Chamaenerion), or as many as sepals, [in Lopezia reduced to 2 or 1 plus 1 sterile staminode];

filaments distinct;

anthers usually versatile, sometimes basifixed, dithecal, polysporangiate, with tapetal septa, sometimes also with parenchymatous septa, opening by longitudinal slits, pollen grains united by viscin threads, (2 or)3(–5)-aperturate, shed singly or in tetrads or polyads;

ovary inferior, usually with as many carpels and locules as sepals, rarely 1 or 2 (Circaea and Gayophytum), septa sometimes thin or absent at maturity;

placentation axile or parietal;

style 1, stigma 1, with as many lobes as sepals or clavate to globose, papillate or not, and wet with free-running secretions to dry without the secretions;

ovules 1 to numerous per locule, in 1 or several rows or clustered, anatropous, bitegmic.

a loculicidal capsule or indehiscent berry or nutlike.

somewhat curved, lanceoloid-cylindrical to cylindrical, symmetrical throughout, sometimes slightly flattened on one side at base, (17–)25–45(–56) × 5–8 mm, valve margins with conspicuous, nearly smooth to irregular undulate ridge;

pedicel 2–7 mm.

narrowly obovoid, 2.5–3 × 1–1.4 mm, embryo 1/2 of seed volume, surface minutely papillose to reticulate;

seed collar forming narrow slit above raphe with a slightly sunken membrane, margin entire or obscurely sinuate distally.

smooth or sculptured, sometimes with a coma or wings, with straight, oily embryo, 4-nucleate embryo sac, endosperm absent.

= 14, 28.