Flora of North America species comparison

decumbent or ascending, diffusely branched, 4-sided, 5–40 cm, with single line of hairs along each internode.

erect, sparingly branched below inflorescence, 4-sided, 3–25 cm, glabrous or sparsely hairy.

petiolate (proximal) or ± sessile (distal);

blade usually green, ovate to broadly elliptic, 0.5–4 cm × 2–20 mm, base round to cuneate, margins entire, apex acute or shortly acuminate, ± glabrous or ciliate at base.

sessile, crowded at base, shiny;

blade oblanceolate to obovate and spatulate (proximal) or linear-lanceolate (distal), 0.5–1.5 cm × 0.5–2 mm, base round, apex acuminate, glabrous, often ciliate on margins.

terminal, 5–many-flowered cymes;

bracts ovate and shortly acuminate to lanceolate-acute, 1–40 mm, herbaceous.

terminal, 3–21-flowered (rarely more) cymes;

bracts linear-lanceolate, 1–12 mm, scarious distally, herbaceous proximally, often ciliate on margins.

ascending, usually straight, deflexed at base in fruit, 3–40 mm, usually with line of hairs.

ascending to erect, ± straight in fruit, 2–25 mm, glabrous.

2–5 mm diam.;

sepals 5, with obscure midrib, ovate-lanceolate, 4.5–5(–6) mm, margins narrow, scarious, apex obtuse, usually glandular-hairy;

petals absent or 5, 1–4 mm, shorter than to equaling sepals;

stamens 3–5(–8);

anthers red-violet;

styles 3, outwardly curved, becoming curled, 0.5–1 mm.

2–3 mm diam.;

sepals 5, with 3 prominent, ridged veins, very narrowly lanceolate, to acicular, 2.8–4.2 mm, margins wide, scarious, apex acuminate, glabrous;

petals 5 or absent, 1–3 mm, shorter than sepals, blade apex 2-lobed;

stamens 3–5;

styles 3, spreading, becoming curled, ca. 0.3 mm.

green to straw colored, ovoid-oblong, 3–5 mm, somewhat longer than sepals, apex obtuse, opening by 6 valves;

carpophore absent.

green or straw colored, narrowly ovoid, 2–3 mm, shorter than sepals, apex obtuse, opening by 3 valves, splitting into 6;

carpophore absent.

reddish brown, broadly reniform to round, 0.9–1.3 mm diam., with obtuse, round, or flat-topped (broader than tall) tubercles.

brown, round, 0.5–0.7 mm diam., minutely tuberculate.

= 40, 42, 44.

= 20, 40.