Flora of North America species comparison

radially symmetric, underground (rhizomatous) and aerial, not readily fragmenting, irregularly forked;

both rhizomatous and aerial stems often with 1 branch arrested, budlike, tips straight; rhizomatous stems hard to distinguish on wholly creeping plants;

aerial stems erect or ascending, sometimes decumbent to slightly creeping, budlike arrested branches restricted mostly near stem base.

dimorphic, not clearly ranked.

solitary, 0.5–2.5(–3.5) cm;

sporophylls lanceolate, strongly tapering toward tip, abaxial ridges prominent, base glabrous, margins short-ciliate, apex long-bristled.

borne on upperside of stems, restricted to lower stems or throughout stem length, 0.3–0.5 mm diam.

stem leaves persistent or deciduous, tightly appressed, scalelike.

stem leaves appressed, ascending, green, linear-lanceolate, 3–4.7 × 0.45–0.65 mm;

abaxial ridges present;

base abruptly adnate, rounded, pubescent;

margins long-ciliate, cilia white to whitish, spreading, 0.1–0.2 mm;

apex not keeled to slightly keeled;

bristle white to whitish or yellowish to greenish near base, puberulent, 0.65–1.85 mm (1/3–1/2 length of leaves).