Flora of North America species comparison

single, scattered, erect, usually purple tinted proximally, hollow especially towards base, pithy distally, 10–14 mm diam. just distal to base, often glaucous, proximally densely retrorsely bristly-hairy and stellate-hairy, hairs pustulate, 1.5–2.5 mm, distally sometimes glabrous.

single or clustered, erect, rarely rooting at base, unbranched or distally branched, proximally usually solid, sometimes hollow in age, base glabrous, coarsely stellate-hairy to long-bristly, or glabrate, hairs usually becoming appressed, simple or stellate.

mostly cauline, basal usually absent;

stipules deciduous, with pink band on stem at base, narrowly lanceolate, (3.5–)5(–8) × 0.7(–1.5) mm;

petioles of proximal leaves 6–8 cm, those of midstem leaves 10–14 cm, 2 times to as long as blade, apex curved with swollen portion or pulvinus 5–6 × 1.8 mm;

blades of proximalmost cauline leaves rounded, shallowly, palmately 4- or 5-lobed, 0.5–0.7 × 0.5–0.7 cm, lobe margins irregularly, sparsely dentate, apices rounded, mid-cauline blades 5–7-lobed, 6.5–12 × 10–13 cm, wider than long, gradually reduced distally, lobes straplike, divided 3/4 to base, lobes 5.5 × 1.5–1.8 cm, margins coarsely dentate, surfaces sparsely, minutely hispid and stellate-puberulent, distal leaves deeply 5-lobed, otherwise similar in shape, leaves immediately below inflorescence greatly reduced, irregularly 2- or 3-lobed.

basal and cauline, basal sometimes deciduous, cauline 3+;

stipules usually deciduous, linear to lanceolate, 4–6(–14) × 0.5–1(–2) mm;

petioles of basal and proximal leaves (5–)7–10(–35) cm, 3–5 times as long as blades, reduced distally, distalmost leaves sometimes subsessile;

blade cordate or reniform-orbiculate, 3–10(–15) × 3–10(–15) cm, base cordate, apex rounded, lobe apex often acute, surfaces glabrous or sparsely hairy, hairs minute, simple, forked, or stellate, proximal usually shallowly palmately 5–7(–9)-lobed, sometimes unlobed with margins crenate;

midstem more deeply (3–)5–9-lobed, lobes again palmately or pinnately lobed, distalmost unlobed or 3(–5)-lobed, segments unlobed or deeply lobed, narrow.

erect, spiciform, open, calyces usually not overlapping, usually branched, branches 14–18 cm, each branch 10–20 flowered, not 1-sided, elongate, 5–20 cm;

bracts 1, usually undivided, narrowly lanceolate, often 2-fid, 2.5 mm, equaling or slightly longer than pedicel, much shorter than calyx.

erect, usually spiciform, sometimes subcapitate, congested in bud, dense, calyces sometimes conspicuously overlapping in flower and sometimes in fruit, to open and elongate, few-branched or unbranched, 10–20+-flowered, flowers opening and closing sequentially from base to apex, sometimes 3–10 open on same day, not leafy-bracted, not 1-sided, (1.5–)10–30 cm, elongating in flower or fruit;

bracts linear to linear-lanceolate, undivided to 2-fid, proximal sometimes divided to base, 4–6(–7) mm, sometimes exceeding flower buds, usually equaling or longer than pedicels, shorter than calyx.

2–3(–5) mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

1–3(–10) mm;

involucellar bractlets absent.

bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious;

calyx 5–6 mm, to 8 mm in fruit, uniformly, densely stellate-puberulent, surface obscured;

petals pale pink, pale-veined, pistillate 7–9 mm, bisexual (10–)14–20(–25) mm;

staminal column 6–8 mm, stellate-puberulent;

anthers white to cream or pale yellow;

stigmas (6)7 or 8.

bisexual or unisexual and pistillate, plants gynodioecious;

calyx usually green, 3.5–10 mm, usually lightly reticulate-veined, glabrous or densely, uniformly stellate-puberulent or bristly, surface often obscured;

petals usually overlapping, pink or pink-lavender to dark rose-pink or magenta, not notably pale-veined, pistillate 5–10 mm, bisexual 8–15(–20) mm;

staminal column 4–6(–9) mm, hairy;

anthers white to pinkish;

stigmas 6–9.

1.5 mm.

1.5–2.5 mm.

6–7 mm diam.;

mericarps (6)7 or 8, sides 3 mm, thick, back and margins thick, rounded, reticulate-veined, pitted, back with prominent groove, top sparsely glandular-stellate-puberulent, mucro 1 mm.

4–7 mm diam.;

mericarps 6–9, 2–3 mm, sparsely glandular-puberulent, sometimes glabrous, not stellate-hairy, back and margins rounded, smooth or slightly reticulate-veined or pitted, infrequently prominently roughened at least on margins and/or back, mucro 0.1–0.7 mm.

= 20, 40, 60.