Flora of North America species comparison

spreading to erect, zigzagged, green, simple or branched from base, wiry, 5–12(–15) cm, glabrous.

erect, green or purplish brown, branched from base, not wiry, 4–30 cm, glabrous or minutely papillose-scabridulous.

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

ocrea 2–5 mm, glabrous, proximal part funnelform, distal part lacerate;

petiole essentially absent;

blade 1-veined, not pleated, oblanceolate to obovate, 5–20 × 2–5 mm, margins revolute, never touching along midrib, sparsely papillose-denticulate, apex rounded or apiculate.

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

ocrea 3–5 mm, papillose-scabridulous or glabrous, proximal part funnelform, distal part becoming lacerate with age;

petiole 0.1–2 mm;

blade 1-veined, not pleated, linear-oblanceolate, 10–20(–25) × 1–3(–4) mm, margins revolute, smooth, apex acute to mucronate.

axillary and terminal, spikelike, dense;

cymes congested at tips of stems and branches, 3–5-flowered.

axillary and terminal, spikelike, loosely floriferous nearly to base, elongate;

cymes spaced along branches, (1–)2–4-flowered.

enclosed in ocreae, erect to spreading, 2–3 mm.

exserted from ocreae, reflexed, 1–3 mm.

open;

perianth 2–2.5 mm;

tube 12–25% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, uniformly white, petaloid, oblong to obovate, cucullate, navicular in distal 1/4, apex rounded;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 8.

closed;

perianth 1.5–2(–2.5) mm;

tube 18–26% of perianth length;

tepals initially overlapping and cucullate, later forced apart by developing achene, greenish or sometimes purple, with white margins, petaloid or sepaloid, oblong, ± flat or navicular, apex rounded;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 5–8.

enclosed in or exserted from perianth, black, ovate to ovate-oblong, 1.8–2.1 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.

exserted from perianth, black, elliptic, 1.2–2.3 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.