Flora of North America species comparison

simple or branching.

leafy or naked, erect, spreading, or decumbent, simple or branching.

to 30 cm;

blade sometimes sparsely setose abaxially on midrib;

margins usually shallowly to deeply toothed.

basal and/or cauline, alternate to opposite or whorled, simple, without stipules, petiolate or sessile;

blade unlobed or with 1-3 odd-pinnate, subpalmate, or palmate orders of lobes.

peduncle often sparsely setose.

axillary or terminal, unifloral or else multifloral and cymiform, racemose, umbelliform, corybiform, or paniculate, pedunculate or subsessile;

bracts usually present.

petals white, pink, red, or purple, often with dark or pale basal spot, to 6 cm;

anthers pale yellow;

stigmas 5-18, disc ± flat.

radially symmetric, pedicellate or sessile;

receptacle sometimes expanded and forming cup or ring beneath calyx (only in Eschscholzia, Meconella, and Platystemon);

perianth and androecium sometimes perigynous;

sepals caducous, 2 or 3, distinct or connate, usually obovate;

petals distinct, usually obovate, mostly 2 times number of sepals, sometimes more or absent;

stamens many or 4-15 (only in Meconella and Canbya);

anthers 2-locular;

pistil 1, 2-18[-22]-carpellate;

ovary 1-2-locular or incompletely to completely multilocular by placental intrusion;

placentas 2 or more, parietal;

style 1 or absent;

stigmas or stigma lobes 2-many.

capsular, dehiscence valvate, poricidal, or transverse, or carpels dissociating and breaking transversely into 1-seeded segments (only in Platystemon).

stipitate, subglobose, not ribbed, to 9 cm, glaucous.

usually many, small, sometimes arillate or carunculate.