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.

erect, branched, 4-angled, 3–20 cm, glabrous.

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 ovate to broadly lanceolate, widest below middle, 0.4–2 cm × 2–6 mm, coriaceous, base round, margins entire, apex acuminate, spinous, 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.

with flowers solitary, subterminal in axils of foliage leaves, or terminal, 2–5-flowered cymes;

bracts (when present) lanceolate, distally reduced, 3–14 mm, herbaceous, margins scarious, apex acuminate.

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

stiffly erect, 5–40 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.

10–13 mm diam.;

sepals 5, 3-veined, lanceolate, 4.5–6 mm, margins narrow, scarious, apex acute, glabrous or sparsely pilose;

petals 5, 5–7 mm, 1–1.5 times as long as sepals, blade apex with lobes oblanceolate;

stamens 10, in 2 whorls;

styles 3(–4), ascending and outwardly curved, 2 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.

olive green, ovoid, 4–6 mm, equaling and enclosed in sepals, opening by 6(–8) valves;

carpophore absent.

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

brown, reniform-rotund, 0.8–1.2 mm, rugose.

= 52–104, (107).