Flora of North America species comparison

prostrate to short-creeping, sparsely branched, branches mostly simple or 1-forked, flat, not articulate, glabrous.

not readily fragmenting, prostrate, upperside and underside structurally different, irregularly forked, branches determinate, tips upturned.

delicate, papery.

dimorphic, arranged in 8 ranks, tightly appressed, ascending, green;

abaxial ridges absent;

apex with yellowish bristle 0.2–0.5 mm, becoming denticulate (by breaking off of bristle);

bristle usually more persistent in underside leaves.

paired or solitary, lax, flattened, 1–2 cm;

sporophylls ovate to ovate-deltate, strongly keeled, keel dentate, base slightly cordate to rounded, margins with scattered teeth, apex acuminate;

megasporophylls larger and wider than microsporophylls, usually on underside of strobili.

solitary, (0.7–)1.5–2(–2.6) cm;

sporophylls lanceolate, abaxial ridges not prominent, base glabrous, margins ciliate, apex strongly tapering, bristle obscure.

axillary, throughout stem length or restricted to proximal 1/3 of stem, 0.05–0.1 mm diam.

borne on upperside of stems, throughout stem length, 0.25–0.37 mm diam.

leaves distant, green, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.35–2.25 × 0.75–1.35 mm;

base slightly cordate;

margins green or with 1 row of transparent cells, serrate;

apex acute, ending in teeth.

leaves ovate-lanceolate, 1–1.6 × 0.45–0.7 mm;

base oblique on inner side, rounded and prominent on outer side;

margins green or with row of transparent cells, serrate;

apex straight, acuminate to long-acuminate.

leaves narrowly linear-lanceolate to falcate (on marginal ranks), 3.5–4.5(–5) X 0.55–0.7 mm;

base abruptly adnate or slightly decurrent, usually pubescent, sometimes glabrous;

margins ciliate, cilia transparent, spreading, 0.12–0.26 mm.

leaves linear-lanceolate, 3.3–3.85 × 0.6–0.75 mm;

base abruptly adnate, pubescent;

margins ciliate, cilia transparent, spreading, 0.12–0.26 mm.