Flora of North America species comparison

prostrate to erect, often zigzagged, reddish brown, simple or branched from base, wiry, 2–30 cm, papillose-scabrid-ulous.

mostly ascending or erect, branched from base, not wiry, 20–80 cm.

evenly distributed or crowded at branch tips, articulated to ocreae, basal leaves persistent, hardly reduced distally;

ocrea 1–4 mm, papillose-scabridulous, proximal part cylindric, distal part entire or dentate-lacerate;

petiole 0.1–3 mm;

blade 1-veined, not pleated, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, ovate, obovate, or subround, 6–27 × 3–8 mm, margins flat, smooth, irregularly thickened or papillose-denticulate, apex apiculate, green adaxially.

ocrea 7–9 mm, proximal part cylindic, distal part disintegrating into straight fibers;

petiole 0.2–1 mm;

blade green or bluish green, linear to lanceolate, 25–40 × 4–8 mm, margins flat, apex acute;

stem leaves 2–4 times as long as branch leaves;

distal leaves abruptly reduced and not overtopping flowers (shorter than or equaling flowers).

axillary;

cymes from near stem and branch bases, sometimes also crowded at branch apices, 1–3-flowered.

axillary and terminal, spikelike;

cymes aggregated at tips of stems and branches, 1–3-flowered.

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

enclosed in ocreae, 1.5–2 mm.

semi-open or closed;

perianth 1.8–2.5 mm;

tube 22–29% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, greenish with narrow white or pink margins, almost sepaloid, oblong, cucullate, ± navicular, apex rounded;

midveins thickened, unbranched;

stamens 8.

closed or semi-open;

perianth 2.2–3 mm;

tube 15–30% of perianth length;

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

veins branched;

stamens 8.

enclosed in perianth or tip exserted, black, elliptic to ovate, 1.8–2.3 mm, faces subequal, smooth, shiny.

slightly exserted from perianth, light brown to dark brown, ovate, 3-gonous, 2–2.3(–2.8) mm, faces subequal, concave, apex not beaked, edges concave, dull, striate-tubercled; late-season achenes uncommon, 2.5–4 mm.