Flora of North America species comparison

to 50 cm; scarious leaf sheaths persistent.

alternate, rosulate to distichous, 10–50 × 10–70 cm;

blade glaucous-green to variegated with small white or glaucous dots, irregular bands, or blotches, often reddish near apex or margins, lanceolate to ensate, tapering from base to apex, glabrous, margins green, spiny-toothed, teeth 1–1.5 cm apart.

simple, alternate, usually crowded at bases of stems or ends of branches, sessile;

blade fleshy, margins often prickly, venation parallel.

terminal, usually unbranched, racemose, 10–15 dm, usually covered with scalelike bracts;

racemes cylindrical, dense, 0.5 m;

bracts glabrous or puberulent, with 3 prominent purple veins that are confluent at tips.

terminal, axillary, or lateral, spicate, racemose, or paniculate.

perianth yellow;

tepals prominently 3-veined, connate basally for 1/2 their length, lobes broadly linear to oblong-lanceolate, apex rounded;

stamens 6, included to slightly exserted, slightly unequal;

filaments 2–2.5 cm;

anthers 2.5–4 mm;

style usually exserted;

stigmas not expanded;

pedicel 2.2–3.3 cm.

3-merous, short- to long-pedicellate, rarely sessile;

perianth red, brown, yellow, orange, or whitish;

tepals petaloid, connivent or connate basally to almost entirely into tube, sometimes fleshy;

stamens sometimes 3, usually 6, exserted or included;

anthers dorsifixed, dehiscence antrorse;

pollen grains monosulcate;

ovary 3-carpellate, placentation axile, usually with septal nectaries;

style terminal;

stigmas punctate, discoid, or 3-lobed.

capsular, rarely baccate, dehiscence loculicidal, apical.

somewhat elongate.

usually winged or flattened.

= 14.