Flora of North America species comparison

erect, spicate, dense, calyces sometimes overlapping, unbranched or branched, distal stem sometimes leafless, many-flowered, not 1-sided, 2–10 cm, elongating at maturity;

bracts green or purplish, ovate to wide-elliptic, usually 2-fid, sometimes undivided, 2–6(–12) × 2–5 mm.

(2–)4–5 mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

bisexual or infrequently unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious;

calyx often purple tinted or scarious, 4–12 mm, silky strigose-bristly at base and on veins, stellate-puberulent;

petals usually pale purple or pink, rarely white, base pale or white, (9–)10–25 mm, pistillate shortest;

stamens: outer filaments connate to apex, tube funnel-like, with continuous rim to which unstalked anthers attach;

staminal column 4–9 mm, hairy in proximal 1/2;

anthers white to pale purple;

stigmas 5–9.

2–3.5 mm.

5–9 mm diam.;

mericarps 5–9, often purple tinted, 2.5–4.5 mm, glabrous, not especially roughened, sides reticulate-veined, back deeply longitudinally grooved, mucro often appressed, 0.5 mm.