Flora of North America species comparison

erect to straggling, branched or not, 4-angled, 3–32 cm, glabrous or softly pubescent, angles not minutely papillate-scabrid.

ascending to spreading, striate, branched, 4-sided, 2–10 cm, glabrous, internodes usually shorter than leaves.

sessile;

blade green, frequently glaucous, 1–3-veined, midrib prominent, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, widest at base, 0.4–2.6(–4) cm × 1–4 mm, strongly coriaceous or not, base round, margins entire, convex, glabrous or ciliate, apex acute to acuminate, not spinescent, shiny, smooth, glabrous or sparingly villous, base usually glabrous, rarely with few cilia.

sessile;

blade with prominent midrib, elliptic or lanceolate to oblanceolate, 0.1–1 cm × 0.5–4 mm, fleshy, base cuneate to spatulate, margins transparent, entire, narrow, apex acute, glabrous, rarely with few cilia near base, with sessile, often purple glands impressed on abaxial surface;

proximal leaves marcescent.

with flowers solitary, or terminal, 3–30-flowered (rarely more) cymes;

bracts lanceolate, 2–10 mm, herbaceous with scarious margins, or scarious throughout, glabrous or ciliate.

with flowers solitary in distal leaf axils, often ± concealed among leaves;

bracts, when present, paired near base of pedicel, with midrib, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 1 mm, scarious.

ascending to erect, straight, 5–30 mm, glabrous or softly pubescent.

erect, becoming curved and deflexed distally, 3–15 mm, glabrous.

5–10 mm diam.;

sepals 5, 3-veined, midrib prominent, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 3.5–5 mm, margins convex, narrow, scarious, sometimes ciliate, apex acute, glabrous or pubescent;

petals 5, 3–8 mm, 1–1.5 times as long as sepals;

stamens 5–10;

styles 3(–6), ascending, curled at tip, ca. 1.5 mm.

ca. 6 mm diam.;

sepals 5, purple tinged, outer prominently 3-veined, carinate, inner with midrib only, lanceolate, 3–4 mm, margins narrow, membranous, apex acute, glabrous;

petals 5, ca. 2 mm, shorter than sepals, blade apex deeply 2-fid, lobes narrowly elliptic;

stamens 5, inserted in prominent nectary disc;

styles 3, outwardly ascending, curved, 0.75 mm.

blackish purple or straw colored, ovoid to ovoid-lanceoloid, 4–6 mm, 1.5–2 times as long as sepals, apex broadly acute, opening by 6 valves;

carpophore absent.

green, becoming straw colored, ovoid-obtuse, ca. 3 mm, ± equaling and enclosed in sepals, opening with 6 teeth.

brown, reniform to globose, 0.6–0.9 mm diam., shallowly tuberculate to smooth.

pale brown, reniform, 1–1.2 mm diam., not glossy, sides smooth to shallowly rugose, margins thickened with shallow, parallel, longitudinal ridges.

= 52–104, (107).