Flora of North America species comparison

decumbent to ascending, usually branched, without noticeable ribs, glabrous or obscurely strigose distally.

scandent, ribbed, glabrous, often glaucous;

prickles 0.5–1 mm.

ocrea brown, cylindric, 5–23 mm, chartaceous, base inflated, margins truncate, ciliate with bristles (2–)4–10 mm, surface glabrous or strigose, not glandular-punctate;

petiole 0.2–2 cm, glabrous or strigose;

blade without dark triangular or lunate blotch adaxially, broadly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 5–25 × 0.4–3.7 cm, base tapered or acute, margins antrorsely appressed-pubescent, apex acuminate, faces glabrous or appressed-pubescent along midveins and sometimes on faces, usually punctate abaxially.

ocrea green, plane to broadly funnelform, 9–14 mm, at least some foliaceous, base inflated or not, without prickles, margins oblique, eciliate, surface glabrous, glaucous;

petiole 4.5–8 cm;

blade triangular, 4–7 × 4.5–9 cm, base truncate to cordate, usually peltate, margins entire, sparsely retrorsely prickly, apex acuminate, faces glabrous, usually glaucous abaxially.

terminal, sometimes also axillary, erect, uninterrupted or interrupted proximally, 30–80 × 2–5 mm;

peduncle 10–30 mm, glabrous or strigose;

ocreolae overlapping distally, often not overlapping proximally, margins ciliate with bristles to 2(–3) mm.

capitate or spikelike, uninterrupted, 5–12 × 5–10 mm;

peduncle 10–50 mm, retrorsely prickly;

ocreolae overlapping, margins eciliate.

ascending, 1–1.5 mm.

mostly ascending, 1–3 mm.

bisexual or unisexual and staminate, 2–6 per ocreate fascicle, homostylous;

perianth roseate proximally, roseate, white, or greenish white distally, not glandular-punctate or sometimes glandular-punctate with punctae on tubes and inner tepals, scarcely accrescent;

tepals 5, connate ca. 1/3–1/2 their length, obovate, 2.5–4 mm in bisexual flowers, 1.5–2.5 mm in staminate flowers, veins prominent or not, not anchor-shaped, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded;

stamens 8, included or exserted in staminate flowers;

anthers pink or red, elliptic to ovate;

styles 3, connate near middle.

1–3 per ocreate fascicle;

perianth greenish white, glabrous, accrescent, becoming fleshy and blue in fruit;

tepals 5, connate to ca. 1/3 their length, broadly elliptic, 2–3.5 mm, apex acute to obtuse;

stamens (6–)8, filaments distinct, free;

anthers pinkish, ovate;

styles 3, connate proximally.

included or apex exserted, brown to brownish black or black, 3-gonous, 1.5–3 × 1–2.3 mm, shiny, smooth.

included, black or reddish black, spheroidal, 3–3.5 × 3–3.5 mm, shiny, smooth.