Flora of North America species comparison

erect when young, decumbent or prostrate later, moderately branched especially from base, not wiry, 50–70 cm.

erect, green or brown-ish, simple or branched from below middle, not wiry, 5–50 cm, glabrous or papillose-scabridulous.

ocreae 5–12 mm, proximal part cylindric, distal part soon disintegrating into brown fibers;

petiole 0.3–1.5 mm;

blade light yellowish green, elliptic to obovate, 8–35 × 3–15 mm, margins flat, apex rounded;

stem leaves 1–2.1(–3) times longer than branch leaves;

distal leaves overtopping flowers.

uniformly distributed, articulated to ocreae, basal leaves caducous or persistent, distal leaves abruptly reduced to bracts;

ocrea 6–15 mm, glabrous or papillose-scabridulous, proximal part cylindric, distal part soon disintegrating into a few brown fibers;

petiole 0.1–1 mm;

blade 1-veined, with 1 pleat on each side of midrib, narrowly lanceolate to linear, 25–40 × 1–8 mm, margins usually flat, papillose-denticulate, apex mucronate or cuspidate.

axillary, cymes in axils of most leaves and toward tips of stems and branchs, 1–3(–5)-flowered.

axillary and terminal, spikelike, slender, elongate;

cymes spaced along branches, 1–2(–3)-flowered.

enclosed in ocreae, 1.3–1.8(–2) mm.

enclosed in ocreae, erect, 1–1.5 mm.

closed;

perianth 2.6–4 mm;

tube 40–55% of perianth length;

tepals incurved, yellow-green with yellow to green, rarely pinkish, margins, sepaloid, ± keeled, narrowly oblong, cucullate;

midveins unbranched, moderately to heavily thickened, tepals appearing keeled;

stamens 5–8.

closed;

perianth 2.5–4.2 mm;

tube 15–22% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, green, often brownish when dried, with pink or white margins, petaloid or sepaloid, elliptic, cucullate, navicular, apex rounded;

midveins usually unbranched, rarely branched;

stamens 8.

enclosed in perianth, yellow-green to tan, ovate, 3-gonous, 2.4–3.5 mm, faces unequal, apex not beaked, edges concave or nearly straight, dull, uniformly tubercled; late-season achenes common, 3–5 mm.

enclosed in or slightly exserted from perianth, black, elliptic to oblong, 2.3–4 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth or minutely striate-tubercled near edges and apex.

= 40, 60.

= 20.