Flora of North America species comparison

erect, green, simple or divaricately branched, ± wiry, 2–20 cm, minutely papillose-scabridulous.

erect, usually profusely branched in distal 1/2, not wiry, 10–100(–200) cm.

crowded at branch tips, not articulated to ocreae, basal leaves caducous or persistent, distal leaves abruptly reduced to bracts;

ocrea 8–13 mm, papillose-scabridulous, proximal part cylindric, distal part overlapping and obscuring leaves and flowers, silvery, entire or shallowly dentate;

petiole absent;

blade 3-veined, without pleats, linear, 5–15(–20) × 0.5–1.5(–2) mm, margins revolute, papillose-denticulate, apex spine-tipped.

ocrea 6–12(–15) mm, proximal part cylindric, distal part silvery, soon disintegrating into persistent brown fibers;

petiole 2–4 mm;

blade variable, light yellowish green to bluish green, proximal often caducous, narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, rarely ovate, 8–70 × 4–18(–35) mm, margins flat, apex acute to acuminate or obtuse;

distal leaves, either overtopping or shorter than or equaling flowers.

axillary;

cymes in distal axils, 1-flowered.

axillary or axillary and terminal, spikelike;

cymes uniformly distributed or crowded toward tips of branches, 2–5-flowered.

absent.

enclosed in or exserted from ocreae, 1–6 mm.

closed;

perianth 2–3 mm;

tube 10–18% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, pink with pink or white margins, petaloid, elliptic, navicular, apex acute to acuminate;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 8.

closed;

perianth (2–)2.2–3.6(–4) mm;

tube 20–38% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, greenish yellow with greenish yellow or yellow, rarely pink or white, margins, petaloid or sepaloid, not keeled, elliptic to oblong, cucullate;

midveins thickened or not;

stamens 3–6(–8).

enclosed in perianth at maturity, light brown to brown, ovate-elliptic, 1.8–2.3 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.

enclosed in or exserted from perianth, dark brown, ovate, 3-gonous, 1.6–3.5 mm, faces subequal, concave, apex not beaked, edges straight, shiny or dull, usually smooth to roughened, sometimes uniformly or obscurely tubercled; late-season achenes common, 4–15 mm.