Flora of North America species comparison

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

erect to ascending, branched proximally, 5–25 cm, hirtellous.

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 lanceolate to subulate, 2–3 mm, apex long-acuminate, often deeply cleft;

blade linear-subulate, 4–7.5 × 0.5–0.8 mm, leathery, apex acute or shortly cuspidate-mucronate, very finely puberulent to glabrous.

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, ± ovoid, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx narrowing distally, 3.6–5 mm, moderately pubescent with silky to stiff, antrorse to somewhat spreading hairs;

sepals green to red-brown, midrib and lateral pair of veins prominent, lanceolate-oblong, 1.5–2 mm, leathery, margins whitish to translucent, 0.1–0.2 mm wide, scarious, apex terminated by awn, hood ± obscure, narrowly rounded, awn erect to somewhat spreading, 1–1.5(–2) mm, narrowly conic in proximal 1/2 with white, scabrous spine;

staminodes filiform, 0.7–1 mm;

style 1, cleft in distal 1/5, 1.4–1.5 mm.

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

terminal, 3–6-flowered, congested, or flowers solitary.

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

ovoid-oblong, 1.3–1.4 mm, densely pubescent in distal 1/2.