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.

spreading to erect, sometimes zigzagged, purplish, simple or branched, wiry, (5–)10–35 cm, 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.

evenly distributed or crowded at branch tips, articulated to ocreae, basal leaves persistent, distal leaves gradually reduced to bracts;

ocrea 3–4 mm, papillose-scabridulous, proximal part funnelform, distal part finely lacerate;

petiole 0.1–2 mm;

blade 1-veined, not pleated, linear to narrowly oblong-elliptic, 8–30 × 1–4(–7) mm, margins narrowly revolute, never touching along midrib, smooth, apex acute, mucronate, ± glaucous adaxially.

axillary;

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

axillary and terminal, spikelike, dense;

cymes mostly congested toward tips of branches, 2–3-flowered.

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

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

semi-open or closed;

perianth 1.8–2.4 mm;

tube 25–33% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, greenish, white, or pink with pink margins, petaloid, oblong, cucullate, navicular in distal 1/4, apex rounded;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 8.

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

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