Flora of North America species comparison

slender.

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

prostrate to ascending or erect, simple or branched.

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.

opposite, connate proximally or not, often petiolate (basal leaves), not stipulate;

blade subulate or linear to spatulate, lanceolate, or broadly ovate, seldom succulent.

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

bracts paired, foliaceous.

terminal or axillary cymes, or flowers solitary;

bracts foliaceous or reduced, herbaceous to scarious (or rarely absent);

involucel bracteoles absent.

erect.

present or rarely flowers sessile.

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).

bisexual or seldom unisexual, sometimes inconspicuous;

perianth and androecium hypogynous or perigynous, often slightly;

hypanthium cup-, dish-, or disc-shaped;

sepals (4–)5, distinct or seldom connate basally, sometimes hooded, not awned;

petals absent or (1–)4–5, usually white, sometimes translucent, yellowish white, pink, or brownish, seldom clawed, auricles absent, coronal appendages absent, blade apex entire or 2-fid, sometimes jagged or emarginate, rarely laciniate;

stamens absent or (1–)5(–10), in 1 or 2 whorls, arising from base of ovary, a nectariferous disc, or sometimes the hypanthium or hypanthium rim;

staminodes absent or 1–5(–8);

ovary 1- or rarely 3-locular (Wilhelmsia);

styles (2–)3–5(–6), distinct;

stigmas (2–)3–5(–6).

capsules, or rarely utricles (Scleranthus), opening by (2–)3–6, occasionally 8 or 10 valves or (3 or) 6–10 teeth;

carpophore present or often absent.

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.

1–60+, yellowish or tan to dark red or often brown or black, usually reniform or triangular to circular and laterally compressed or ovoid to globose, rarely oblong and dorsiventrally compressed (Holosteum);

embryo usually peripheral and curved, rarely central and straight (Holosteum).

= 15.

= 6–15, 17–19, 23.