Flora of North America species comparison

radially symmetric, long-creeping, short-creeping, or pendent, not readily fragmenting, irregularly forked, without budlike arrested branches, tips straight;

main stem indeterminate, lateral branches determinate, spreading, 1–2-forked.

monomorphic, in alternate pseudowhorls of 4 (on main stem and older lateral branches) or 3 (on young lateral branches and secondary branches), loosely appressed, ascending, green, linear to linear-lanceolate or narrowly triangular-lanceolate, (2–)2.5–3.4 × 0.45–0.5(–0.7) mm;

abaxial ridges prominent;

base mostly cuneate and decurrent, rarely rounded and adnate (on young branches), pubescent or glabrous;

margins entire to denticulate or very short-ciliate, cilia transparent, scattered, mostly ascending, dentiform toward apex, 0.02–0.07 mm;

apex keeled, slightly attenuate, short- to long-bristled;

bristle transparent greenish to greenish-yellowish, rarely white, smooth, seldom slightly puberulent, sometimes breaking off, 0.25–0.7(–1) mm.

sometimes paired, 0.5–3.5 cm;

sporophylls lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, abaxial ridges prominent, base glabrous, with prominent auricles (no other species has such prominent auricles), margins entire or very short-ciliate to denticulate, apex keeled, short- to long-bristled.

borne on upperside of stems, throughout stem length, 0.15–0.27(–0.3) mm diam.