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.

decumbent proximally, ascending distally, diffusely branched, 4-angled, to 80 cm, with single line of hairs along each internode.

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.

petiolate (proximal and those on sterile shoots) or sessile (distal and mid stem);

blade ovate to broadly elliptic, 0.5–4 cm × 2–18 mm, base round to cuneate, margins entire with few cilia at base, thin, apex acute to short-acuminate, ± glabrous.

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.

terminal, 9–many-flowered cymes;

bracts ovate to lanceolate, 3–25 mm, reduced distally, herbaceous, sparsely ciliate on margins and underside.

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

erect, often becoming deflexed, 5–40 mm, pubescence a single line of hairs.

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.

5–7 mm diam.;

sepals 5, veins obscure, lanceolate, 5–6.5 mm, margins narrow, membranous, apex acute, pubescent;

petals 5 (rarely absent), 2–5 mm, shorter than or equaling sepals;

stamens 8–10;

styles 3, ascending, outwardly curved, 0.5–1 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 to straw colored, ovoid-oblong, 5–7 mm, ca. equaling sepals, apex obtuse, opening by 6 slightly recurved valves;

caropohore absent.

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

very dark brown when mature, round, 1.1–1.7 mm diam., tuberculate;

tubercles conic, taller than broad, apex acute.

= 52–104, (107).

= 22.