Flora of North America species comparison

erect, green, simple or branched, not wiry, 5–80 cm, glabrous or sparsely papillose-scabridulous.

prostrate to ascending, branching from base, not wiry, 15–40 cm.

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

ocrea 6–12 mm, glabrous or minutely papillose-scabridulous, proximal part cylindric, distal part hyaline, lacerate;

petiole 0.1–2 mm;

blade 1-veined, not pleated, linear, narrow-oblong, or oblanceolate, 15–55 × 2–8(–12) mm, margins revolute, smooth or papillose-denticulate;

apex acute to mucronate.

ocrea 4–6 mm, proximal part funnelform, distal part silvery hyaline, soon disintegrating, leaving almost no fibrous remains;

petiole 2–5 mm;

blade often reddish tinged, elliptic to obovate or oblanceolate; 20–35 × 9–16 mm, margins flat, apex rounded;

stem leaves (1.3–)2–2.6(–3.5) times as long as branch leaves;

distal leaves overtopping flowers in distal part of inflorescence.

axillary and terminal, spikelike, elongate;

cymes widely spaced along branches, 2–4-flowered.

axillary;

cymes in most leaf axils, 1–4-flowered.

mostly exserted from ocreae, reflexed, 2–6 mm.

mostly exserted from ocreae, 2–4 mm.

closed;

perianth 3–4.5 mm;

tube 20–28% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, green to tannish with white or pink margins, petaloid, oblong, cucullate, navicular, apex rounded;

midveins usually branched, rarely unbranched;

stamens 8.

semi-open;

perianth 3–3.5(–4) mm;

tube 18–25% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, green, margins white or pink, petaloid, not keeled, broadly rounded, cucullate;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 8.

enclosed in perianth, black, elliptic or oblong to ovate, 3–4(–4.5) mm, faces subequal, shiny or dull, smooth or minutely striate-tubercled.

exserted from perianth, brown, ovate, 3-gonous, 2.8–3.4(–4) mm, faces subequal or evidently unequal, apex not beaked, edges straight, shiny, minutely roughened; late-season achenes uncommon, 4.5–5 mm.

= 60.