Flora of North America species comparison

simple but with short axillary leafy shoots, leafy, 40–60 cm, glossy, ± glabrous, with 10–20 nodes proximal to inflorescence.

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.

basal withered at time of flowering;

cauline whorled, appearing fasciculate (more than 4) at each node, connate at base, reduced distally, tapered at both ends, blade linear to very narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 0.5–8 cm × 1–12 mm, base broadened, margins scabrous, apex acute, subglabrous to minutely puberulent on both surfaces.

solitary flowers.

thyrsate, verticillate, open, with many short, ascending branches bearing large numbers of small, unisexual flowers, bracteate;

bracts connate basally, triangular, 2–10 mm, margins finely ciliate, apex acuminate.

2–40 mm.

ascending, straight, fasciculate, wiry, ± equaling calyx, glabrous or sparsely and minutely puberulent.

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.

mostly unisexual;

calyx pale green, indistinctly 10-veined, elliptic, constricted near base, umbilicate, ca. 5 × 2 mm, lobes with thickened midrib, ovate-obtuse, 0.2 mm, margins crenate, membranous;

corolla greenish white, clawed, claw and limb not differentiated, narrowly oblong, unlobed, less than 2 times length of calyx, appendages absent;

stamens exserted, longer than corolla;

styles 3, exserted, longer than corolla.

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

carpophore ca. 1 mm.

green, ovoid-conic, longer than calyx, opening by 6 teeth;

carpophore shorter than 1 mm.

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

brown, winged, reniform, ca. 1 mm, faces with shallow radiating ridges.

= 24.