Flora of North America species comparison

slender.

prostrate to decumbent, flowering stems ascending or weakly erect, simple or branched, terete or weakly 4-angled.

not basally connate, sessile;

blade 1-veined or obscurely so, usually elliptic to ovate, less commonly lanceolate to oblanceolate, obovate, or broadly elliptic, succulent, apex acute to acuminate or apiculate.

terminal, open, leafy, 1–6-flowered cymes or axillary and flowers solitary;

bracts paired, foliaceous.

erect.

functionally unisexual or, occasionally, staminate plants also with some bisexual;

perianth and androecium subperigynous;

hypanthium minimal;

sepals 5(–6), distinct, green, narrowly ovate to elliptic, 3.5–7 mm, herbaceous, margins pale, scarious, apex obtuse or acute to apiculate, not hooded;

petals absent or 5(–6), white, base clawed, blade apex emarginate;

nectaries at base of filaments opposite sepals enlarged on both sides of filament, slightly reduced in pistillate flowers;

stamens 10, fertile in staminate flowers, fewer or abortive in pistillate flowers, arising from rim of very brief hypanthium disc;

filaments distinct;

staminodes absent;

styles (2–)3–5(–6), filiform, 1–2 mm, shorter and erect in staminate flowers, glabrous proximally;

stigmas (2–)3–5(–6), linear along adaxial surface of styles, minutely papillate (30x).

globose, inflated, opening by 3 spreading valves;

carpophore absent.

3–15, reddish brown to dark reddish or yellowish brown, narrowly to broadly obovate, laterally compressed, smooth to minutely papillate, marginal wing absent, appendage absent.

= 15.