Flora of North America species comparison

inconspicuous, slender or stout, unbranched or few-branched.

subterranean or aerial;

aerial stems prostrate to decumbent, ascending, or erect [viny].

relatively few, loosely imbricate or more remote, loosely ascending to spreading;

blade oblong-lanceolate to awl-shaped, 2–10 mm, margins entire, often inrolled, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous.

deciduous, cauline or basal and cauline, rarely basal only or absent, sometimes scales, opposite, alternate, whorled, or spiral, simple;

stipules absent;

petiole present or absent;

blade usually not fleshy or leathery, rarely fleshy, leathery, or chartaceous, margins entire, toothed, or lobed.

of solitary flowers or fascicles of 2(–4) at stem or branch tips, white to cream, sometimes purple tinged, simple, glabrous;

bracts loosely ascending and erect, oblanceolate to broadly ovate, obovate, rhombic, or awl-shaped, 5–12 mm, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous, rarely glandular-pubescent distally.

terminal and/or axillary, racemes, panicles, spikes, corymbs, or flowers 1 or 2.

(8–)20–110(–170) mm, much longer than plant axis;

bracteoles 0.

calyx white to straw colored or light yellow, or pale to dark, dull purple, sometimes brownish, ± radially symmetric, 4–12(–15) mm, divided into 5 subequal lobes, lobes slightly shorter than to 2 times as long as tube, ± triangular or subulate-triangular, sparsely to moderately glandular-pubescent;

corolla (11–)15–30(–35) mm, tube white to purple, blue, or yellow, sometimes lighter proximally or with light or darker purple or blue veins, slightly to moderately constricted above ovary, ± bent forward, glandular-pubescent;

palatal folds ± prominent, bright yellow, glandular- and/or eglandular-pubescent, sometimes glabrescent;

lips white, yellow, purple, or blue, sometimes with light or darker purple or blue veins, abaxial lip slightly to moderately spreading, sometimes ± recurved distally, (1–)2–6(–9) mm, lobes oblong-obovate to nearly round, apex rounded to bluntly pointed or shallowly emarginate (sometimes with 2 notches), adaxial lip slightly to moderately spreading, sometimes recurved, 2–6(–9) mm, lobes broadly oblong-ovate to oblong-semiorbiculate, apex rounded, rarely bluntly pointed or shallowly emarginate;

filaments glabrous, anthers included, glabrous or villous-tomentose.

bisexual, perianth and androecium hypogynous;

sepals (0 or)2–5(–8), connate, calyx radially or bilaterally symmetric;

petals [4 or]5, connate, corolla bilaterally symmetric, bilabiate or strongly bilabiate, tubular, funnelform, campanulate, salverform, or club-shaped, sometimes cylindric, subrotate, or curved;

stamens (2 or)4, adnate to corolla tube, didynamous, subequal, or equal, staminodes 0 or 2;

pistil 1, 2[or 3]-carpellate, ovary superior, 1- or 2-locular, placentation axile, sometimes parietal;

ovules anatropous or campylotropous-like (Rhinanthus), unitegmic, tenuinucellate;

style 1;

stigma 1.

capsules, dehiscence loculicidal and/or septicidal or indehiscent (Conopholis).

ovoid to oblong-ovoid, 4–8(–11) mm.

0.1–0.4 mm.

1–2500(–5000), brown or black, sometimes tan, white, yellow, amber, or gray, ovoid to ellipsoid, reniform, globular, oblong, or angled;

embryo straight, endosperm present.