Flora of North America species comparison

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

prostrate to ascending, dichotomously branched, 5–20 cm, often retrorsely pubescent on 1 side.

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.

stipules ovate-lanceolate, 1–1.5 mm, apex obtuse to acuminate, fimbriate;

blade oblong to triangular-ovate, 1.5–6 × 0.5–1.5 mm, leathery, apex acute to obtuse, glabrous.

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.

5-merous, occasionally 3- or 4-merous, obconic to short-campanulate, with gradually expanded hypanthium and calyx widening distally, 0.5–0.8 mm, pubescent proximally with straight to hooked hairs;

sepals brown-purple, white to greenish at apex, sometimes proximally, veins absent, ± oblong, 0.5–0.7 mm, leathery to rigid, margins whitish to translucent, 0.1–0.2 mm wide, scarious, apex terminated by crest or mucro, hood broadly rounded, mucro rounded-triangular, ca. 0.1 mm, glabrous;

staminodes absent or rudimentary;

styles 2(–3), ca. 0.3 mm.

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

terminal, 7–25+-flowered, much-branched and very profusely developed along all branches, 1.5–20 mm wide.

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

ovoid or ellipsoid to subglobose, 0.4–0.5 mm, smooth, glabrous.