Flora of North America species comparison

prostrate to erect, branched, flexuous, 5–200 cm.

erect to ascending, sparingly branched in distal 1/2, not wiry, 25–60 cm.

ocrea 3–15 mm, proximal part cylindric or ± funnelform, distal part silvery, hyaline, soon disintegrating into persistent fibers or nearly completely deciduous;

petiole 0.3–9 mm;

blade green to gray-green, narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, elliptic, obovate, or spatulate, 6–50(–60) × 0.5–22 mm, margins flat, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded;

stem leaves 1–4 times as long as adjacent branch leaves;

distal leaves overtopping flowers.

ocrea 6–12 mm, proximal part cylindric, distal part soon disintegrating into brown fibers, later leaving almost no fibrous remains;

petiole 0–2 mm;

blade light green, linear-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 8–35 × 2–8 mm, margins flat, apex acute or obtuse;

stem leaves 2.1–4 times as long as adjacent branch leaves;

distal leaves sharply reduced, not overtopping flowers (shorter than or equaling flowers).

axillary;

cymes uniformly distributed or aggregated at tips of stems and branches, 1–6(–8)-flowered.

axillary and terminal, spikelike;

cymes in distal nodes, 2–6-flowered.

enclosed in or exserted from ocreae, 1.5–5 mm.

exserted from ocreae, 2–4 mm.

closed or semi-open;

perianth 1.8–5.5 mm;

tube 20–57% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping or not, green or reddish brown with white, pink, or red margins, petaloid, not keeled, oblong to obovate, often cucullate in fruit;

midveins branched or unbranched, thickened or not;

stamens 5–8.

semi-open;

perianth 2–3.5 mm;

tube 18–25% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, green with white or sometimes pink margins, petaloid, not keeled, oblong to obovate, cucullate;

midveins usually unbranched;

stamens 7–8.

enclosed in or exserted from perianth, light to dark brown, ovate, (2–)3-gonous, 1.2–4.2 mm, faces subequal or unequal, apex not beaked, edges slightly concave, dull, usually coarsely striate-tubercled, sometimes obscurely tubercled; late-season achenes common or not, 2–5 mm.

enclosed in perianth, brown, ovate, 3-gonous, (1.6–)1.8–2.6(–3) mm, faces subequal or unequal, apex not beaked, edges concave, shiny, smooth or roughened; late-season achenes common, 4–6 mm.