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 to ascending, sparingly branched in distal 1/2, not wiry, 25–60 cm.

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.

ocrea 6–12 mm, proximal part cylindric, distal part soon disintegrating into brown fibers, later leaving almost no fibrous remains;

petiole 0–2 mm;

blade light green, linear-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 8–35 × 2–8 mm, margins flat, apex acute or obtuse;

stem leaves 2.1–4 times as long as adjacent branch leaves;

distal leaves sharply reduced, not overtopping flowers (shorter than or equaling flowers).

axillary;

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

axillary and terminal, spikelike;

cymes in distal nodes, 2–6-flowered.

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

exserted from ocreae, 2–4 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;

perianth 2–3.5 mm;

tube 18–25% of perianth length;

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

midveins usually unbranched;

stamens 7–8.

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

enclosed in perianth, brown, ovate, 3-gonous, (1.6–)1.8–2.6(–3) mm, faces subequal or unequal, apex not beaked, edges concave, shiny, smooth or roughened; late-season achenes common, 4–6 mm.