Flora of North America species comparison

± erect;

twigs multicellular stipitate-glandular-hairy and, sometimes, conspicuously strigose (hairs elongate, stiff, long-celled, eglandular), otherwise sparsely to densely unicellular-hairy.

erect, arching, spreading, creeping, or procumbent.

persistent or deciduous, alternate, sometimes pseudoverticillate [in whorls of 3];

blade ovate, elliptic, or slightly obovate, coriaceous, margins obscurely to clearly toothed or serrulate [entire], plane or revolute, surfaces multicellular, short-stalked stipitate-glandular-hairy (along with, in P. floribunda, stout, elongate hairs associated with marginal teeth, and unicellular-hairy on midvein adaxially);

venation brochidodromous to reticulodromous (veins of varied thickness and conspicuousness).

deciduous or persistent, alternate, sometimes pseudoverticillate (Pieris);

petiole usually present, sometimes absent (some species of Vaccinium);

blade plane, abaxial groove absent.

axillary or terminal panicles or racemes, 15–35-flowered, (borne the year preceding flowering).

usually axillary, sometimes terminal, usually panicles or racemes, sometimes corymbs or fascicles, sometimes solitary flowers, (borne on leafy twigs, except Zenobia on leafless twigs);

perulae absent;

bracts much shorter than sepals (sometimes absent).

bracteoles 2, proximal or distal.

sepals 5, slightly connate, ovate [oblong-lanceolate];

petals 5, connate for nearly their entire lengths, white, corolla urceolate to cylindric-urceolate, lobes short;

stamens 10, included;

filaments straight or geniculate, glabrous or hairy, with 2 stout, minutely papillose spurs at anther-filament junction;

anthers without awns, dehiscent by elliptic pores;

pistil 5-carpellate;

ovary 5-locular;

stigma capitate.

pendulous;

perianth and androecium hypogynous or epigynous (Gaylussacia, Vaccinium);

sepals (4-)5[-8];

petals 4-5(-6), connate (rarely distinct or nearly so in some species of Vaccinium), corolla deciduous, campanulate, cylindric, or urceolate, lobes usually much shorter (sometimes longer) than tube;

intrastaminal nectary disc absent or present;

stamens 8-10[-16];

anthers dehiscent by terminal pores or short slits;

ovary 5- or 10-locular;

placentation axile;

style straight.

capsular, subglobose or globose to ovoid, (with unthickened sutures), dry.

capsular, dehiscence loculicidal, or baccate or drupaceous, indehiscent.

40–100, ellipsoidal to obovoid, ± rectangular or angular-ovoid, or narrowly conic, flattened or not, (sometimes slightly winged);

testa cells elongate or isodiametric.

2-300, distinct, ovoid or obovoid to ellipsoid, lanceoloid, or conic, to angular or wedge- or crescent-shaped, usually not winged, sometimes slightly winged or tailed.

= 12.