Flora of North America species comparison

prostrate, branched, 4-sided, 3–23 cm, internodes equaling or longer than leaves, glabrous, rarely pilose.

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

sessile or short-petiolate;

blade broadly ovate to elliptic, 0.2–1.2 cm × 0.9–7 mm, base round or cuneate, margins entire, apex acute, shiny, glabrous or ciliate near base.

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.

with flowers solitary, axillary;

bracts absent.

terminal, 5–many-flowered cymes;

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

spreading, 3–12 mm, glabrous.

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

1.5–2 mm diam.;

sepals 4–5, veins obscure, midrib sometimes apparent, ± ovate, 1.5–3.5 mm, margins narrow, scarious, apex ± obtuse, glabrous;

petals absent;

stamens 10 or fewer;

styles 3(–4), curled, shorter than 0.5 mm.

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.

green to pale straw colored, translucent, globose to broadly ovoid, 2.3–3.5 mm, 1.9–2 times as long as sepals, apex obtuse, opening by 6 valves;

carpophore absent.

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

carpophore absent.

grayish black, broadly elliptic, 0.5–0.7 mm diam., finely reticulate.

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

= 26, 52, ca. 65, ca. 78.

= 40, 42, 44.