Flora of the Southeastern United States

Flowers and fruits mostly borne in clusters of 2s and 3s (occasionally solitary), usually on bent, reflexed pedicels; leaves pubescent on both surfaces; cauline stems usually with appressed pubescence (basal shoots are villous); outer slender sepals shorter than the broad inner sepals; [of peninsular FL]

Flowers and fruits borne singly (separate, not fascicled), usually on straight pedicels; usually on straight pedicels; leaves either pubescent on both surfaces or glabrous; cauline stems glabrous, villous, or with appressed pubescence; outer slender sepals shorter or longer than the broad inner sepals; [collectively widespread].

Pubescence of the stems strongly spreading, not at all appressed; inner sepals carinate (U- or V-shaped in cross-section).

Sepals uniformly pubescent; main stem leaves all < 1 cm long; inner broad sepals not bowed or only slightly so; capsule ellipsoid, indehiscent and distinctly exserted from calyx (obviously longer than the sepals); fruit usually 1-seeded; [of peninsular FL]

Sepals sparsely pubescent to glabrous; main stem leaves usually > 1.5 cm long; inner broad sepals distinctly bowed (U or V-shaped in cross-section); capsule subglobose, splitting to 3 valves at maturity and about equal to the calyx in length or slightly exserted; fruit usually with 2-4 seeds; [widespread]

Pubescence of the stems more or less appressed, usually strongly so; inner sepals shallowly curved in cross section, not carinate.

Outer (slender) sepals equaling or exceeding the inner (broad) sepals.

Pedicels 3-5 mm long, noticeably exceeding the length of the capsules (often 2x or more the length of the capsules); capsules secund, usually ± reflexed; [w. LA and e. TX]

Pedicels 0.5-2 mm long (avg. 2 mm in L. racemulosa), shorter than or only slightly exceeding the length of the capsules; capsules secund or not, if secund then usually ascending; [collectively widespread, including LA and TX].

Base of the fruiting calyx clearly differentiated into a hardened, shiny, yellowish (or light brown), obconic base 0.4-0.6 mm long, contrasting in color and texture with the darker colored and pubescent upper calyx; pedicels averaging 2 mm long (1.5-3.5 mm)

Base of the fruiting calyx not conspicuously differentiated in texture and color from the upper calyx; pedicels averaging < 1.5 (-2) mm long.

Capsule subglobose, completely enclosed by the sepals; leaves averaging > 10× as long as wide; plant short and usually densely bushy, < 3 dm tall

Capsule ellipsoid to ovate, exserted, usually conspicuously so, the sepals not enclosing the summit of the fruit (but sometimes the outer sepals subequal to the capsule as in L. minor); leaves < 8× (usually < 6×) as long as wide; plant usually taller, 1-7 dm tall.

Cauline leaves oval or elliptic, 8-15 mm long; outer sepals distinctly longer than the inner sepals, usually also longer than the capsule (or subequal)

Cauline leaves linear to linear-subulate, 4-10 mm long; outer sepals subequal or slightly longer than inner sepals, shorter than capsule.

Outer sepals shorter than to barely longer than the inner sepals; capsules broadly oval-shaped, lacking obvious angles, ca. 1.5 mm long; cauline leaves 4-9 mm long; [se. NC to s. FL, w. to s. AL; various dry sandy habitats]

Outer sepals distinctly longer than the inner sepals; capsules ellipsoid-prismatic, 3-angled, ca. 2 mm long; cauline leaves ca. 10 mm long; [c. FL; scrub]

Outer (slender) sepals shorter than the inner (broad) sepals.

Calyx sparsely to densely pubescent; sepals not spreading in fruit or only slightly so; mature capsule either ellipsoid and strongly exserted or oval to globose and included to slightly exserted; stems herbaceous (but can appear woody), dying to the base each year; [collectively widespread].

Capsules ellipsoid to narrowly pyriform, normally about 2× as long as wide (sometimes longer in L. racemulosa).

Stigmas not persistent; pedicels averaging about 2 mm long; base of the fruiting calyx clearly differentiated into a hardened, shiny, yellowish, obconic base 0.4-0.6 mm long, contrasting in color and texture with the rest of the calyx

Stigmas persistent, reddish-brown, conspicuous on the summit of the capsule; base of the fruiting calyx not conspicuously differentiated in texture and color

Capsules of a broader shape, ovoid, broadly ellipsoid, or subglobose, normally < 1.5× as long as wide.

Capsules obviously longer than the sepals.

Capsules densely racemose to tightly clustered towards tips of branches; pedicels 1.0-1.5 mm long, shorter than the calyx (1.6-1.8 mm long)

Capsules loosely racemose; pedicels 1.6-2.3 mm long, subequal to longer than the calyx (1.6-2 mm long).

Seeds 3 (-4); the calyx reddish purple at maturity; pedicels 1.8-2.3 mm long; [coastal plain, MA south to s. NJ, disjunct in dry sandy sites of the Great Lakes]

Seeds 2(-3); the calyx greenish purple at maturity; pedicels 1.6-2.2 mm long; [se. VA south to n. FL, west to e. LA, disjunct in Coffee County, TN]

Capsules almost completely enveloped by the sepals (shorter than or ± equaling calyx).

Leaves sparsely pubescent on the midrib and margin only beneath; branches and stems sparsely subappressed-pilose; seeds 4-6

Leaves appressed pubescent on the surface beneath; branches and stems moderately to densely gray-canescent; seeds 2-3.

Leaves 1.5-3.0 (-4.0) mm wide; seeds 2-4 (-5); [of coastal dunes, from ne. NC northward OR midwestern prairies from s. IL north and westward].

Capsules mostly 2-2.5 mm in diameter; flowering stems erect, 25-45 cm long; [s. IL north and westward]

Capsules mostly 1.5-1.9 mm in diameter; flowering stems erect or procumbent to ascending, 15-35 cm long; [coastal plain, NB s. to ne. NC].

Seeds 3-4 (-5), obscurely 3-sided and more-or-less resembling sections of an orange, or 2-sided and convex ventrally; main stems 1.0-2.5 mm diameter, strongly ascending-erect to subprocumbent; sepals strongly tinged maroon, occasionally dull brown; [of s. ME and c. NH south to DE]

Seeds 2 (-3), 2-sided and flattish, concave ventrally; main stems 2.0-4.0 mm diameter, procumbent to ascending; sepals dull brown, occasionally tinged maroon; [of se. DE south to ne. NC]

Leaves 0.3-1.0 mm wide; seeds either 3 or 4-6; [of longleaf pine sandhills and flatwoods, of se. NC southward].

Calyx glabrous; stems and leaves completely glabrous; capsules (at maturity) very slightly exceeding the inner sepals; [FL peninsula: Collier County]

Calyx densely appressed pilose; stems and undersurface of leaves (at least the midvein and the margins) appressed pilose; capsules (at maturity) equaling or slightly shorter than the closely enveloping inner sepals.

Seeds 3; fruiting stems 2-4 dm tall; panicles densely congested; mature calyx lobes strongly rusty-colored; [of se. NC south to s. FL and west to s. MS]

Seeds 4-6; fruiting stems 3-5 dm tall; panicles open and loose; mature calyx dark brown; [of ne. FL and Panhandle FL south to s. FL]