General: Perennial herb from woody stem-base; stems decumbent to erect, 20-60 cm long, several to many, simple to branched above, usually minutely short-hairy and with some long, spreading hairs, sometimes nearly glabrous.
Leaves: Oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, 1.5-3 (3.5) cm long, entire or coarsely wavy-toothed, minutely hairy, reduced upward; unstalked.
Flowers: Inflorescence a many-flowered terminal spike, 5-20 cm long, bracts 2-5 mm long; flowers somewhat bilaterally symmetric; hypanthium slender, 4-13 mm long; petals 3-8 mm long, with narrow claw and oval to diamond-shaped blade, pinkish or red to nearly white; sepals distinct, sharply reflexed, 5-10 mm long; stamens usually 8; filaments 3-5 mm long, often with a scale at the base; anthers 3-5 mm long; styles slightly longer than the stamens; stigma lobes 4, short, oval.
Fruits: Nut-like, erect, somewhat diamond-shaped, 4-angled, somewhat winged on upper half, 4-9 mm long, glabrous to hairy, 1- to 4-seeded; stalks short, thick.
If more than one illustration is
available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two
subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below.
Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
