Flora of North America species comparison

bark smooth, sometimes peeling or shredding with age;

twigs unicellular-hairy, papillate, with flattened, glandular scales (lepidote).

erect to decumbent, sprawling, creeping, trailing, prostrate, or procumbent.

persistent, (fragrant when crushed);

petiole with glandular-peltate scales without broad rim and few, ferruginous, long-crisped hairs;

blade (white or pale green abaxially), ovate to lanceolate, (1–)2–8 × 1.5–3 cm, coriaceous, margins entire, plane, glabrous, apex usually acute, abaxial surface sparsely to densely papillate, with few, ferruginous, long-crisped hairs and glandular-peltate scales without broad rim, adaxial surface with scattered lepidote scales and/or papillae, sometimes also unicellular-hairy along midrib.

deciduous or persistent, usually alternate, sometimes opposite, whorled, or spirally arranged;

petiole usually present;

blade plane or acicular, abaxial groove present or absent.

slightly rounded, 10–35-flowered;

bracts lepidote abaxially, margins ciliate, unicellular-hairy.

axillary or terminal, fascicles, racemes, panicles, capitula, cymes, umbels, corymbs, spikes, or solitary flowers;

perulae present or absent;

bracts much shorter than sepals (sometimes absent).

4–25 mm, with dense to sparse, ferruginous, long-crisped, unicellular and/or peltate scales, sometimes also long-stalked, multicellular glandular-hairy.

radially symmetric, opening after leaves (of flowering shoots), ± erect, fragrance not noticeable at mid day;

calyx lobes (often reflexed in fruit), ± 1–1.5 mm, outer surface densely to sparsely unicellular-hairy (hairs tan) and multicellular stipitate-glandular-hairy (hairs red) on margins;

corolla white to cream, without blotch, ± rotate, 2–8 mm, inner surface hairy proximally, outer surface glabrous, petals appearing distinct or only slightly connate basally, lobes (4–)5–7 mm;

stamens (8–)10(–12), exserted, ± equal, 4.5–8.4 mm.

bisexual or unisexual, erect or pendulous, usually radially or bilaterally symmetric;

sepals (2-)4-5(-7);

petals absent or (2-)4-5(-7), connate or distinct, corolla deciduous or persistent, campanulate, salverform, rotate, saucer-shaped, funnelform, cylindric, or urceolate, (with pockets holding anthers until they open in some Kalmia), lobes shorter than tube;

intrastaminal nectary disc present;

stamens (2-)5-10;

anthers dehiscent by lateral pores or slits;

ovary (2-)5-10-locular;

placentation axile (parietal distally in Epigaea);

style straight or declinate (curved in Elliottia).

capsular, dehiscence usually septicidal, sometimes loculicidal or septifragal, or drupaceous, (dry to fleshy), indehiscent.

borne on recurved pedicels, 2.5–5 × 2–6 mm (only slightly longer than wide), glabrous, acropetally dehiscent.

somewhat elongated beyond narrow ends;

testa closely appressed.

2-300, distinct, obovoid, ovoid, or ellipsoid to oblong, linear, fusiform, or planoconvex, winged or not.

bud scales with peltate scales without broad rim and unicellular-hairy abaxially, margins unicellular-hairy.

= 26.