Flora of North America species comparison

solitary or few to many, erect, branched distally, sometimes unbranched or with short, leafy branches in axils of leaves, glabrous, sometimes hairy, hairs moderately dense, spreading, short, soft, eglandular.

several, erect, usually decumbent at base, unbranched, sometimes branched, sometimes with short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs spreading, short, rather stiff, some glandular.

green, sometimes purplish, linear or narrowly lanceolate, 1–9 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, 3–5(–9)-lobed, apex acuminate to narrowly acute;

lobes spreading, linear, arising near or below mid length, apex acute, rarely obtuse.

purplish brown with a grayish cast (due to adhering soil particles and salt crystals), linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1.5–2.5(–3) cm, fleshy, margins plane, sometimes wavy, involute, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acute;

lobes spreading, linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex obtuse.

3–15(–20) × 1.5–3 cm;

bracts proximally pale greenish to pale yellowish green, distally white, cream, or pale yellow, sometimes pale greenish, pale yellow-green, or pale yellow throughout, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 3–5(–7)-lobed;

lobes ascending or spreading, linear to very narrowly linear, long, arising above or below mid length, apex acute to obtuse.

3–10 × 1.5–5 cm;

bracts proximally purplish, deep burgundy, lavender, dull reddish, or deep purple, distally greenish, white, cream, or pink on margins and apices, oblong, 3(–5)-lobed;

lobes ascending, ± linear, medium length, arising above mid length, central lobe apex rounded to obtuse, expanded distally, lateral ones acute.

straight or ± curved, 16–25 mm;

tube 15–17 mm;

beak exserted from calyx, adaxially green, 5–7 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, reduced, exserted through abaxial cleft, 1–4 mm, 40–60% as long as beak;

teeth erect, white, 0.5–1 mm.

straight or slightly curved, 18–22(–24) mm;

tube 13–18 mm;

beak, sometimes abaxial lip, exserted;

beak adaxially purplish brown, 4.5–6.5 mm, conspicuously exceeding abaxial lip, margins reddish or colored as bracts, apices white or cream;

abaxial lip reddish purple with green in a distal band or along grooves, gradually inflated, grooved, (2–)3–4(–4.5) mm, 67% as long as beak;

teeth erect to slightly spreading, white to cream, often with purple spot, 1.4–2(–2.5) mm.

green, rarely pale purple, lobes white, cream, or pale yellow, 18–24(–27) mm;

abaxial clefts (6–)8–16 mm, adaxial 4–10(–14) mm, abaxial 45–60% of calyx length, adaxial 15–40% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1–4 mm, 5–15% of calyx length;

lobes narrowly triangular to linear, apex acute.

proximally whitish, distally purple to sometimes pink, margins white or cream, 16–20 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 5–8.5 mm, 20–45% of calyx length, all 4 clefts subequal;

lobes linear or narrowly lanceolate, apex obtuse to rounded.

blackish.

= 24.

= 24.