Flora of North America species comparison

erect, green-brown, simple or branched from base, not wiry, 2–5(–8) cm, glabrous.

prostrate to erect, glabrous, smooth or sometimes papillous-scabridulous.

± uniformly distributed, dense, not articulated to ocreae, basal leaves ± persistent, distal leaves gradually reduced to bracts;

ocrea 2–4(–5) mm, glabrous, proximal part cylindric, distal part deeply lacerate, disintegrating into white, curled fibers;

petiole absent;

blade 3-veined, without pleats, linear-lanceolate, subulate, 5–13(–20) × 0.4–1 mm, margins revolute, smooth, apex spine-tipped.

cauline, alternate (opposite in P. humifusum), petiolate or sessile;

ocrea with distal part persistent, often hyaline, white or silvery, 2-lobed, chartaceous, glabrous, disintegrating into fibers, or disintegrating completely;

petiole base articulated with ocrea or not;

blade linear, lanceolate, elliptic, ovate, or subround, margins entire.

axillary;

cymes in most axils, 1-flowered.

axillary or axillary and terminal, spikelike, or flowers solitary;

peduncle absent.

absent.

present or absent.

closed;

perianth 1.5–2(–2.5) mm;

tube 6–15% of perianth length;

tepals overlapping, usually reddish with white margins, petaloid, oblong, navicular, apex acute;

midveins unbranched;

stamens 8.

bisexual, 1–7(–10) per ocreate fascicle, base not stipelike;

perianth nonaccrescent, white or greenish white to pink, campanulate to urceolate, glabrous;

tepals 5, connate 3–70% of their length, petaloid or sepaloid, monomorphic or, rarely, dimorphic, the inner usually flat, the outer flat or sometimes keeled and cucullate distally, sometimes of different length than the inner;

stamens 3–8 (some may be reduced to staminodes);

filaments distinct, free or adnate to perianth tube, glabrous;

anthers whitish yellow, pink to purple or orange-pink, elliptic to oblong;

styles (2–)3, mostly spreading, distinct or connate proximally;

stigmas 2–3, capitate.

slightly exserted from perianth at maturity, dark brown, ovate, 1.2–1.6(–2) mm, faces subequal, shiny, smooth.

included or exserted, yellow-green, brown, or black, unwinged, (2–)3-gonous, glabrous.

embryo curved.

= 10.