Flora of North America species comparison

erect or ascending, seldom sprawling, decumbent, or prostrate, simple or branched.

erect, leafy proximally, 3–6(–15) cm, old leaves persistent at base.

mostly basal, densely crowded and imbricate, sessile;

blade 1(–3)-veined, linear-subulate to lanceolate, 0.4–1(–1.5) cm × 0.8–1.5(–2) mm, margins cartilaginous, often ciliolate especially proximally, apex acute, glabrous to scabrous.

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

blade linear or subulate to ovate, not succulent or rarely so (Silene).

solitary flowers.

terminal cymes, thyrses, fascicles, or capitula, or flowers solitary, axillary;

bracts foliaceous, scarious, or absent;

involucel bracteoles present or often absent.

2–40 mm.

present or rarely flowers sessile or subsessile.

bisexual or unisexual, all plants having both staminate and pistillate flowers, others having only pistillate flowers, subsessile or borne singly on peduncle;

calyx 10-veined, lateral veins absent, tubular to campanulate, (5–)7–10 mm, herbaceous, margins often purple tinged, dentate, sometimes ciliate, ± scarious, glabrous, lobes lanceolate to ovate, 1–2 mm;

petals bright pink, rarely white, limb unlobed to shallowly 2-fid, 2.5–3.5 mm, base tapered into claw, auricles and appendages poorly developed;

stamens exserted in staminate flowers, not so or aborted in pistillate flowers;

styles 3.

bisexual or seldom unisexual (the species then often dioecious), often conspicuous;

perianth and androecium hypogynous;

sepals 5, connate (1/4–)1/2+ their lengths into cup or tube, (1–)5–40(–62) mm, apex not hooded or awned;

petals absent or 5, often showy, white to pink or red, usually clawed, auricles absent or sometimes present, coronal appendages sometimes present, blade apex entire or emarginate to 2-fid, sometimes dentate to lacinate;

stamens (5 or) 10 (absent in pistillate flowers), in 1 or 2 whorls, arising from base of ovary;

staminodes absent or rarely 1–10;

ovary 1-locular, sometimes 2-locular proximally (Vaccaria), or 3–5-locular (some Silene);

styles 2–3(–5) (absent in staminate flowers), distinct;

stigmas 2–3(–5) (absent in staminate flowers).

capsules, opening by 4–6(–10) valves or teeth;

carpophore usually present.

3-locular, cylindric, equaling or to 2 times calyx, opening by 6 recurved teeth;

carpophore ca. 1 mm.

light brown, reniform, 0.8–1(–1.2) mm broad, dull, shallowly rugose.

4–150(–500+), reddish to gray or often brown or black, usually reniform and laterally compressed to globose, sometimes oblong or shield-shaped and dorsiventrally compressed;

embryo peripheral and curved, or central and straight.

= 7, 10, 12, [13?,] 14, 15, 17, [18].

= 24.