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
Ont., Que., Ala., Ark., Conn., D.C., Del., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Maine, Mass., Md., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., N.C., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va., W.Va., Wis.
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 |