Flora of North America species comparison

sprawling t2o erect, nearly simple to much-branched especially distally, 7–35 cm, retrorsely pubescent on 1 side or throughout.

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

stipules lanceolate to ovate, 5–10 mm, apex acuminate, entire;

blade linear-oblong to oblanceolate, 5–30 × 1–7 mm, leathery, apex acute to cuspidate, moderately antrorsely pubescent.

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.

5-merous, ± short-campanulate, with prominently enlarged hypanthium and calyx flaring distally, (1.5–)2–2.3 mm, pubescent proximally with short, hooked hairs;

sepals greenish to brownish or red-brown, white distally, veins absent, oblong to obovate, 1–1.5 mm, leathery to rigid, margins white, 0.2–0.3 mm wide, papery, apex terminating in divergent awn, hood broadly rounded, awn white, stout-conic, 0.5–0.6 mm, glabrous;

staminodes filiform, ± 0.3 mm;

style 1, cleft in distal 1/5, 0.3–0.6 mm.

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.

terminal, 25+-flowered, much-branched but congested, clusters 5–20 mm wide.

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

ellipsoid to subglobose, 0.5–0.8 mm, minutely papillate distally.

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