Flora of North America species comparison

bark smooth to vertically furrowed, shredding;

twigs with ferrugineous, multicellular, broad-rimmed, glandular-peltate scales.

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

persistent;

petiole with ferruginous, broad-rimmed, glandular-peltate scales and unicellular-hairy;

blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic or oval, sometimes obovate, (1–)5–8(–13) × (1–)2–3.5(–5.5) cm, thick, coriaceous, margins entire, plane to conspicuously revolute, with scattered, glandular-peltate scales, apex acute or acuminate or obtuse to rounded, surfaces with scattered, ferruginous, broad-rimmed, glandular-peltate scales abaxially, (scales ± deciduous adaxially).

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

petiole usually present;

blade plane or acicular, abaxial groove present or absent.

5–10-flowered;

bracts similar to bud scales.

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).

5–15 mm, with ferruginous scales.

opening before or after development of leaves, erect to horizontal, fragrant;

calyx lobes 0.5–2 mm, with ferruginous scales;

corolla dark to very pale pink or white, upper lobe usually with greenish spots, campanulate to funnelform, 15–37 mm, with scattered, ferruginous, peltate scales on outer surface, petals connate (for 3/4+ their lengths), lobes 8–19 mm, tube gradually expanding into lobes, 8–22 mm;

stamens 10, included to slightly exserted, ± unequal, 13–26 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 erect pedicels, 6–14 × 2.9–5 mm, with ferruginous, peltate scales.

with short, blunt/truncate tails at each end;

testa closely appressed.

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

bud scales ferruginous-lepidote, sometimes also unicellular-hairy abaxially, margins unicellular-ciliate.

= 26.