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.

long-creeping, branched, branches 2–3-forked, flat, not articulate, glabrous.

dimorphic, not clearly ranked.

delicate and papery.

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.

paired, 0.6–1.1 cm;

sporophylls monomorphic, ovate-lanceolate, keeled, keel not dentate, base glabrous, margins green, entire or with a few scattered, short cilia, apex acute to acuminate.

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

borne on underside of stems throughout stem length or restricted to proximal ± 2/3 of main stem or axillary throughout stem, 0.2–0.4 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).

leaves spreading or slightly ascending, distant, shiny green becoming shiny brown, with orange or red spot or entirely reddish, ovate to ovate-oblong or oblong, 1.5–3.2 X (1–)1.5–2.2 mm;

base auriculate, basiscopic auricle conspicuous, acroscopic auricle inconspicuous or base ± rounded;

margins green, ciliate toward auricles, otherwise entire;

apex rounded to obtuse or truncate.

leaves ovate-oblong, (1.8–)2–2.2 × 1–1.3 mm;

base auriculate, outer auricle larger than inner one;

margins green, ciliate at auricles, otherwise entire;

apex abruptly cuspidate to bristled.