Flora of North America species comparison

thickened, usually simple, rarely branched, (subterranean).

usually simple, rarely few from base, well-exserted, prostrate to decumbent.

blade margins entire.

petiolate, sessile, or subsessile;

blade base usually not auriculate (except Paysonia), margins entire, dentate, or sinuate.

usually short-stalked, subsessile, or sessile, sometimes long-stalked, stellate, scalelike, subdendritic, or forked, sometimes mixed with simple ones.

ebracteate, often elongated in fruit.

actinomorphic;

sepals erect, spreading, ascending, or reflexed, lateral pair seldom saccate basally;

petals white, yellow, lavender, purple, violet, orange, or brown [pink], claw present, often distinct;

filaments unappendaged, not winged;

pollen (3 or) 4–11-colpate.

(slightly longer than broad), not conspicuously compressed at margins, apex somewhat compressed and usually not conspicuously beaked;

valves usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely pubescent inside;

ovules 8–12 per ovary;

style usually straight.

silicles or siliques, dehiscent, unsegmented, terete, latiseptate, or angustiseptate;

ovules 2–100 per ovary;

style usually distinct;

stigma entire or strongly 2-lobed.

biseriate, uniseriate, or aseriate;

cotyledons accumbent or incumbent.