Flora of North America species comparison

prostrate or ascending, brown, branched, rooting at nodes, not wiry, 10–100 cm, glabrous, covered with remains of lacerate, hyaline ocreae.

erect, green, simple or branched, ± wiry, 15–60 cm, usually papillose-scabridulous.

crowded at branch tips, articulated to ocreae, basal leaves caducous or persistent, distal leaves not reduced in size;

ocrea 15–20 mm, glabrous, proximal part cylindric to funnelform, distal part silvery, entire or slightly lacerate, disintegrating into persistent white-gray curly fibers;

petiole 0–0.5 mm;

blade 1-veined, without pleats, linear to oblanceolate, (5–)10–20(–33) × 3–8 mm, coriaceous, margins revolute, smooth, apex acute or mucronate.

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

ocrea 5–12 mm, glabrous or papillose-scabridulous, proximal part cylindric, distal part lacerate or disintegrating into fibers;

petiole 0.1–2 mm;

blade 1-veined, not pleated, linear to narrowly oblong or lanceolate, 15–70 × 2–8 mm, margins revolute, papillose-denticulate, apex acute or mucronate.

axillary;

cymes crowded in distal axils, 2–5-flowered.

axillary and terminal, spikelike, elongate;

cymes spaced along branches, 2–5-flowered.

enclosed in ocreae, erect to spreading, 2–5 mm.

exserted from ocreae, reflexed, 0.5–1 mm.

semi-open or open;

perianth (4.5–)6–10 mm;

tube 22–48% of perianth length;

tepals partially overlapping, uniformly pink or white, reddish brown when dried, petaloid, oblong-ovate to ± lanceolate, apex rounded;

midveins pinnately branched;

stamens 8.

open or semi-open;

perianth (3.5–)4–5 mm;

tube 9–17% of perianth length;

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

midveins unbranched or with short lateral branches;

stamens 8.

enclosed in or slightly exserted from perianth, black, ovate, 4–5 mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.

enclosed in perianth, black, elliptic, 3.5–5 mm, faces subequal, shiny or dull, smooth or striate-tubercled.