Flora of North America species comparison

usually single, erect and sometimes supported by adjacent plants (sprawling), base prostrate or decumbent-ascending to erect, often rooting, solid, not brittle, sometimes ± glaucous distally, proximally stellate-hairy, glabrate, hairs minute or larger and coarse (never simple only), usually 4-rayed, 0.5–1 mm.

single, scattered, erect, usually purple tinted proximally, hollow especially towards base, pithy distally, 10–14 mm diam. just distal to base, often glaucous, proximally densely retrorsely bristly-hairy and stellate-hairy, hairs pustulate, 1.5–2.5 mm, distally sometimes glabrous.

basal and/or cauline, similar in size and shape;

stipules linear to lanceolate, 2–3 × 1.1 mm;

petiole (1–)5–10(–15) cm, longest on proximal leaves, 1–4 times longer on proximal leaves to 1/2 times to as long as blade on distal leaves;

blade usually shallowly to deeply palmately 3–7-lobed usually halfway to base, proximal and distal cauline blades rounded to reniform, 2–3 × 2–5 cm, usually wider than long, base cordate to truncate, margins crenate, apex blunt or rounded, lobes narrowest at base, margins usually apically coarsely toothed, rarely entire, surfaces stellate-puberulent.

mostly cauline, basal usually absent;

stipules deciduous, with pink band on stem at base, narrowly lanceolate, (3.5–)5(–8) × 0.7(–1.5) mm;

petioles of proximal leaves 6–8 cm, those of midstem leaves 10–14 cm, 2 times to as long as blade, apex curved with swollen portion or pulvinus 5–6 × 1.8 mm;

blades of proximalmost cauline leaves rounded, shallowly, palmately 4- or 5-lobed, 0.5–0.7 × 0.5–0.7 cm, lobe margins irregularly, sparsely dentate, apices rounded, mid-cauline blades 5–7-lobed, 6.5–12 × 10–13 cm, wider than long, gradually reduced distally, lobes straplike, divided 3/4 to base, lobes 5.5 × 1.5–1.8 cm, margins coarsely dentate, surfaces sparsely, minutely hispid and stellate-puberulent, distal leaves deeply 5-lobed, otherwise similar in shape, leaves immediately below inflorescence greatly reduced, irregularly 2- or 3-lobed.

ascending or erect, often spiciform, open, calyces not overlapping in flower or fruit, unbranched or branched, 2–15(–30)-flowered, elongate in both flower and fruit, usually 1-sided, 6–11(–30) cm;

bracts leaflike to linear, usually 2-fid, (2–)3–5(–15) mm.

erect, spiciform, open, calyces usually not overlapping, usually branched, branches 14–18 cm, each branch 10–20 flowered, not 1-sided, elongate, 5–20 cm;

bracts 1, usually undivided, narrowly lanceolate, often 2-fid, 2.5 mm, equaling or slightly longer than pedicel, much shorter than calyx.

2–5(–10) mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

2–3(–5) mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious;

calyx 5–12 mm, uniformly densely stellate-puberulent;

petals pink to pale purple, pale-veined, (5–)10–28 mm, pistillate flowers darker, 5–15 mm;

staminal column 4–5 mm, stellate-puberulent;

anthers white;

stigmas (6 or)7 or 8.

bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious;

calyx 5–6 mm, to 8 mm in fruit, uniformly, densely stellate-puberulent, surface obscured;

petals pale pink, pale-veined, pistillate 7–9 mm, bisexual (10–)14–20(–25) mm;

staminal column 6–8 mm, stellate-puberulent;

anthers white to cream or pale yellow;

stigmas (6)7 or 8.

1.5–2.8 mm.

1.5 mm.

6–8 mm diam.;

mericarps (6 or)7 or 8, 3–4 mm, usually glandular-puberulent to stellate-puberulent, sometimes glabrous, roughened, strongly reticulate-veined, sides and back pitted, mucro 0.5–1 mm.

6–7 mm diam.;

mericarps (6)7 or 8, sides 3 mm, thick, back and margins thick, rounded, reticulate-veined, pitted, back with prominent groove, top sparsely glandular-stellate-puberulent, mucro 1 mm.