Flora of North America species comparison

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

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, 3–21-flowered (rarely more) cymes;

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

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

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

carpophore absent.

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

= 20, 40.