Flora of North America species comparison

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

sprawling, branched from base, 3–10 cm, puberulent.

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 lanceolate, 2.5–5 mm, apex narrowly acuminate, entire;

blade linear-oblong to linear-lanceolate, 2–10 × 0.7–1.5 mm, leathery, apex spinose, minutely puberulent.

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, extended-urceolate, with enlarged hypanthial bulge and calyx cylindric to slightly tapering distally, 3.5-4 mm, moderately pubescent proximally, with minute, hooked hairs on hypanthial bulge, sparsely pubescent on calyx, densely so with hooked to coiled hairs on hood;

sepals green to red-purple, midrib apparent, oblong, 1.9–2.1 mm, herbaceous to leathery, margins white, 0.2–0.3 mm wide, papery, apex terminated by awn, hood triangular-rounded, awn erect, becoming widely divergent, white, ± lanceoloid from proximal constriction, 0.8–1.3 mm, slightly scarious, distinct spine absent;

staminodes narrowly subulate, 0.6–0.8 mm;

style 1, cleft in distal 7/8, 0.7–0.8 mm.

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

terminal, 10–20-flowered, congested, in clusters 0.5–1.5 mm wide.

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

unknown.