Flora of North America species comparison

several, erect, not much-branched, slender, 15–60 cm, flowering above middle.

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.

cauline in 2–4 pairs, gradually reduced distally, blade linear with broadened base, 1–8 cm × 1–2 mm, apex acute;

basal leaves tending to wither by flowering time, blade with midrib present, linear-oblanceolate, 5–12 cm × 1–4 mm, apex acute.

solitary flowers.

few-flowered, bracteate, narrow, flowers terminal and axillary;

bracts linear, 2–10 mm.

2–40 mm.

ascending, straight, slender, very short in bud but equaling or exceeding flower at anthesis.

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.

calyx 10-veined, campanulate, lobed to middle or below, 6–10 mm;

lobes 6, recurved, 1–3-veined, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, margins membranous, ciliate, apex acute;

petals white to pale greenish, lobed, clawed, 12–20 mm including claw, ca. 2 times length of calyx;

lobes 4, small, 1.5–2 mm, claw woolly towards base, appendages absent;

stamens equaling petals;

filaments pubescent at base;

styles 3, shorter than to equaling stamens.

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

carpophore ca. 1 mm.

ovoid, exceeding calyx, dehiscing with 6 spreading teeth;

carpophore 1–2 mm.

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

brown, broadly reniform, less than 1.75 mm, margins coarsely tuberculate to papillate, with concentric rings of tubercles on both faces.

= 24.

= 48.