Flora of North America species comparison

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

erect when young, decumbent or prostrate later, moderately branched especially from base, not wiry, 50–70 cm.

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.

ocreae 5–12 mm, proximal part cylindric, distal part soon disintegrating into brown fibers;

petiole 0.3–1.5 mm;

blade light yellowish green, elliptic to obovate, 8–35 × 3–15 mm, margins flat, apex rounded;

stem leaves 1–2.1(–3) times longer than branch leaves;

distal leaves overtopping flowers.

axillary or axillary and terminal, spikelike, elongate;

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

axillary, cymes in axils of most leaves and toward tips of stems and branchs, 1–3(–5)-flowered.

enclosed in or exserted from ocreae, erect, 1–4 mm.

enclosed in ocreae, 1.3–1.8(–2) mm.

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.

closed;

perianth 2.6–4 mm;

tube 40–55% of perianth length;

tepals incurved, yellow-green with yellow to green, rarely pinkish, margins, sepaloid, ± keeled, narrowly oblong, cucullate;

midveins unbranched, moderately to heavily thickened, tepals appearing keeled;

stamens 5–8.

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

enclosed in perianth, yellow-green to tan, ovate, 3-gonous, 2.4–3.5 mm, faces unequal, apex not beaked, edges concave or nearly straight, dull, uniformly tubercled; late-season achenes common, 3–5 mm.

= 40, 60.