Flora of North America species comparison

erect or ascending to prostrate, branched, 5–60 cm, often retrorsely pubescent on 1 side.

erect, dichotomously branched, 5–50 cm, retrorsely to spreading- pubescent throughout.

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–7 mm, apex acuminate, fimbriate;

blade spatulate to oblanceolate or linear-oblanceolate, 3–20 × 1–4 mm, herbaceous, apex acute to obtuse or rounded, glabrous to scaberulous.

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 2–6 mm, apex acuminate, entire;

blade linear to linear-oblanceolate or linear-oblong, 3–25 × 1–2.3 mm, herbaceous, apex ± acute, moderately antrorsely puberulent.

5-merous, ± short-cylindric, with slightly enlarged hypanthium and calyx widening somewhat distally, 1–1.8 mm, sparsely to moderately pubescent proximally with hooked to straight hairs;

sepals red-brown (sometimes finely striped or mottled), white distally, midrib obscure, obovate, 0.4–0.8 mm, leathery to rigid, margins white, 0.03–0.1 mm wide, thinly herbaceous, apex broadly rounded, hood broadly rounded, awn or mucro usually absent or minute;

staminodes narrowly triangular, 0.3–0.4 mm;

style 1, cleft in distal 1/6, 0.6–0.8 mm.

5-merous, cylindric to narrowly lanceolate, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx cylindric to tapering distally, 2.3–3.5 mm, pubescent mostly proximal with hooked or usually straight hairs, sometimes with scattered straight hairs distally;

sepals flecked or solid red-brown, white distally, midrib obscure, linear-lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm, papery, margins white, 0.1–0.2 mm wide, papery, apex terminated by mucro, hood obscure, narrowly rounded, mucro short-conic, ca. 0.1 mm, glabrous;

staminodes filiform, widening proximally, 0.5–0.6 mm;

style 1, cleft in distal 1/10.

terminal, 9–25-flowered, ± compact, forming spheroid glomerules 2–6 mm wide.

terminal and lateral, 15–50+-flowered, often forming large, congested clusters 5–30 mm wide.

ovoid to ellipsoid, 0.6–0.8 mm, smooth, glabrous.

broadly ellipsoid to ± globose, 0.5–0.7 mm, smooth, glabrous.