Flora of North America species comparison

leafless, or with 1–3 leaves toward base, 5–50 cm, glandular below inflorescence, glands dome-shaped to conical, 1/2–2 times longer than wide, rarely glandular-pubescent with coarse cylindrical hairs.

glandular and/or glandular-pubescent.

blades to 30 cm × 6 mm.

mostly basal with 0–3 towards stem base, 2-ranked, equitant;

blade linear.

forming cylindric-ovate spikelike heads, 3–30-flowered, sometimes interrupted or open, 1–6.5 cm, glandular-pubescent;

bracts subtending pedicel in cluster;

bracteoles forming ascending, truncate, or shallowly 3-lobed involucre around pedicel, lobes spreading, occasionally cleft from proximal 1/3 to base, narrow, usually glabrous, margins usually entire or nearly so, apex rounded to acute.

terminal, racemose, open or dense and spikelike, elongating in fruit, bracteate, bracteolate;

bracteoles connate in epicalyx.

borne in clusters of 3, proximal sometimes remote;

perianth white or yellowish;

tepals 3.8–5 mm, inner series slightly longer;

stamens 2.8–4 mm;

ovary ellipsoid, tapering gradually to style base;

styles distinct, 0.6–1.5 mm;

pedicel 1–9 mm.

borne in clusters of 2–7;

tepals persistent, 6, in 2 somewhat dissimiliar series, distinct;

stamens 6;

filaments strongly flattened, dilated basally;

anthers basifixed, 2-locular, introrse, without appendages;

ovary superior, stipitate, apocarpous basally, glabrous;

intercarpellary nectary present;

styles 3.

capsular, ovoid to broadly ellipsoid or cylindrical, glabrous, dehiscence septicidal, then adaxially loculicidal.

ovoid to broadly ellipsoid, 3.5–7.5 mm, clearly longer than tepals and not enclosed by them, chartaceous, easily ruptured.

reddish brown, ca. 1 mm;

appendages 2, one at each end of seed, one contorted, 1–4 times longer than seed, other at opposite end, much shorter;

coat absent.

appendaged.

= 15.