Flora of North America species comparison

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

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

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.

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.

with flowers solitary, axillary;

bracts absent.

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

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

spreading, 3–12 mm, glabrous.

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

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.

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

carpophore absent.

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

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

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

= 20, 40.