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.

erect, green to brownish, simple or branched from base, not wiry, 4–50 cm, glabrous or papillose-scabrid-ulous.

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.

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

ocrea 4–10 mm, glabrous or papillose-scabridulous, proximal part cylindric, distal part lacerate or disintegrating into a few persistent fibers;

petiole 0.1–2 mm;

blade 1-veined, not pleated, linear or narrowly oblong to oblanceolate, 8–45 × 2–8(–12) mm, margins revolute or flat, smooth or papillose-denticulate, apex acute, mucronate, rarely obtuse.

axillary;

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

axillary or axillary and terminal, spikelike, elongate;

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

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

enclosed in or exserted from ocreae, erect, 1–4 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 at least some open;

perianth (2.5–)4 mm;

tube 20–40% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, greenish or reddish, sometimes flushed with purple, with white or pink margins, sepaloid or petaloid, oblong or oblong-elliptic, cucullate, navicular, apex rounded;

midveins unbranched or with few branches at base;

stamens 3–8.

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

enclosed in perianth, black, elliptic or ovate, 2.5–3.3 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.