Flora of North America species comparison

erect, dichotomously branched, 3–40 cm, ultimate branches filiform, glabrous.

prostrate to sprawling, much-branched, 8–15 cm, scabrous-puberulent to puberulent throughout.

stipules subulate to lanceolate, 0.5–4 mm, apex acuminate, entire;

blade usually dotted or blotched, elliptic to obovate, 3–30 × 1–11 mm, herbaceous, apex acute to obtuse or cuspidate, glabrous.

stipules lanceolate, 2–8 mm, apex acuminate, entire;

blade linear, 8–15(–23) × 0.5–1 mm, leathery, apex shortly cuspidate, puberulent.

5-merous, ± short-cylindric, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx cylindric, 0.9–1.3 mm, glabrous;

sepals greenish to brownish, midrib and lateral pair of veins prominent, ovate to oblong, 0.5–1 mm, herbaceous, margins white to translucent, 0.03–0.1 mm wide, scarious, apex terminated by mucro, hood rounded-triangular, mucro triangular, 0.07–0.15 mm, glabrous;

staminodes absent or indistinct;

styles 2, 0.2–0.3 mm.

5-merous, ± ovate, with prominently enlarged hypanthium and calyx tapering only slightly distally, 2.3–3.5 mm, puberulent;

sepals green to purple-brown, midrib and lateral pair of veins ± obscure, oblong to lanceolate-oblong, 1.7–2 mm, leathery to rigid, margins whitish to translucent, 0.05–0.1 mm wide, scarious, apex terminated by awn, hood prominent, rounded-triangular, awn divergent, conic in proximal 1/2–2/3 with yellowish, scabrous spine 0.7–0.9 mm;

staminodes filiform, 0.5–0.8 mm;

style 1, cleft in distal 1/3–2/3, 0.8–1.4 mm.

diffuse, flowers solitary (paired) in axils of leafy bracts.

terminal, 3–7-flowered, branched, congested, in clusters 7–25 mm wide.

ovoid to globose, ca. 0.5 mm, granular in distal 1/2, glabrous.

± ovoid, 0.8–0.9 mm, smooth, glabrous.

= 32.