Flora of North America species comparison

erect, green, simple or divaricately branched, ± wiry, 4–40 cm, papillose-scabridulous.

erect to ascending, sparingly branched in distal 1/2, not wiry, 15–75 cm.

uniformly distributed, not articulated to ocreae, basal leaves usually caducous, distal leaves abruptly reduced to bracts;

ocrea 5–10 mm, glabrous or papillose-scabridulous, proximal part cylindric, distal part white or tawny, disintegrating into ± bristly-fringed fibers;

petiole absent;

blade 3-veined, without pleats, linear, 5–25(–30) × 0.5–2 mm, margins revolute, papillose-denticulate or smooth, apex mucronate or weakly spine-tipped.

ocrea 7–12 mm, proximal part cylindric, distal part usually persistent, with strong veins, margins entire or lacerate, silvery, later disintegrating into ± persistent brown fibers;

petiole 1–5 mm;

blade light green or yellowish, elliptic to obovate, 30–60(–80) × (8–)10–25 mm, margins flat, apex obtuse;

stem leaves 1.5–3.5(–4) times longer than branch leaves;

distal leaves overtopping flowers in distal part of inflorescence.

axillary;

cymes in distal axils, 1-flowered.

axillary;

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

absent.

mostly exserted from ocreae, 3–7 mm.

open or closed;

perianth 2.5–3.5 mm;

tube 10–20% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, uniformly white to pink, petaloid, elliptic, navicular, apex acute to acuminate;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 8.

closed;

perianth 2.8–3.8(–4.2) mm;

tube 20–37% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, green with yellowish, rarely whitish green, margins, sepaloid, not keeled, oblong to obovate, cucullate;

midveins branched, moderately to heavily thickened;

stamens 7–8.

enclosed in or slightly exserted from perianth, brown, narrowly elliptic, 1.8–2.2 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.

enclosed in perianth, brown to tan, ovate, 3-gonous, 2.3–3.5 mm, faces subequal, ± concave, apex not beaked, edges concave, dull, striate-tubercled; late-season achenes uncommon, 4–5 mm.