Flora of North America species comparison

erect or decumbent at base, branched, to 100 cm, finely hirsute, glandular-puberulent distally.

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.

blade hirsute on both surfaces;

basal usually withering by flowering time, petiolate, blade oblong-lanceolate to elliptic;

cauline sessile, reduced into inflorescence, blade lanceolate to elliptic, 3–12 cm × 6–30 mm, apex acute.

solitary flowers.

several–many-flowered (fewer in pistillate plants), open, dichasial cymes, bracteate;

bracts much reduced, lanceolate, herbaceous.

2–40 mm.

1–5 cm.

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.

unisexual, some plants having only staminate flowers, others having only pistillate flowers, fragrant, 25–35 mm diam.; in veined staminate plants subsessile to short-pedicellate, in pistillate plants pedicellate;

calyx prominently 10-veined in staminate flowers, 20-veined in pistillate, tubular, becoming ovate in pistillate flowers, 10–20(–24) × 8–15 mm in fruit, margins dentate, hirsute and shortly glandular-pubescent, lobes to 6 mm, broadly ovate with apex obtuse, to lanceolate with apex acuminate;

petals white, broadly obovate, ca. 2 times calyx, limb spreading, unlobed to 2-lobed;

stamens equaling to slightly longer than calyx;

stigmas (4–)5, slightly longer than calyx.

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

carpophore ca. 1 mm.

ovate, ca. equaling calyx, opening by (4–)5, spreading to slightly reflexed, 2-fid teeth;

carpophore 1–2 mm.

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

dark gray-brown, reniform-rotund, plump, ca. 1.5 mm, coarsely tuberculate.

= 24.

= 24.