Paronychia fastigiata
Rhodora 38: 421. 1936.
Plants annual; taproot filiform to slender. Stems erect, usually much-branched, 4–30 cm, retrorsely to spreading-pubescent mostly on 1 side. Leaves: stipules subulate to lanceolate, 0.5–4.5 mm, apex acuminate, sometimes fimbriate; blade usually dotted or blotched, oblanceolate to elliptic or obovate, 2–25 × 0.5–7(–10) mm, herbaceous to leathery, apex subobtuse to acute or cuspidate, glabrous or occasionally with very few scattered trichomes along midrib. Cymes terminal, 25–70+-flowered, branched, loose to compact, forming clusters 3–10 mm wide. Flowers 5-merous, short-cylindric, with enlarged hypanthium and calyx ± cylindric, 1.1–1.6 mm, glabrous or with few scattered hairs; sepals greenish to brownish, veins absent, linear-oblong, 1–1.2 mm, leathery to rigid, margins white to translucent, 0.05–0.1 mm wide, scarious, apex terminated by mucro, hood narrowly rounded, mucro short-conic, 0.05–0.3 mm, ± minutely scabrous; staminodes absent; styles 2, 0.07–0.6(–0.7) mm. Utricles obovoid to obconic, 0.7–1 mm, minutely papillate. 2n = 32, 36.
Distribution
e North America.
Discussion
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
The varieties here recognized are sympatric over at least portions of their ranges. A detailed study on infraspecific variation within Paronychia fastigiata is warranted.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
Key
| 1 | Styles 0.3-0.6(-0.7) mm, often bent or contorted | Paronychia fastigiata var. pumila |
| 1 | Styles 0.07-0.25(-0.3) mm, straight | > 2 |
| 2 | Sepal cusps 0.2-0.3 mm | Paronychia fastigiata var. nuttallii |
| 2 | Sepal cusps 0.05-0.15 mm | Paronychia fastigiata var. fastigiata |