Flora of North America species comparison

several to many, erect to ascending, unbranched or branched, sometimes with short, leafy axillary shoots, glabrous or hairs sparse proximally, distally spreading-erect, long, soft, eglandular, mixed with shorter ones.

green or purple-tinged, sometimes deep purple, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate or ovate, (1.5–)5–11.7 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, flat or involute, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acute to obtuse, sometimes rounded;

lobes erect or ascending, linear, apex acute or acuminate.

3.5–18 × 3–7.5 cm;

bracts proximally pale green to dull purplish, distally bright red or scarlet to yellow, orange, yellow-orange, and salmon, sometimes tricolored with central band of deeper purple or deeper shade of the far-distal color, broadly lanceolate, oblong, elliptic, or oblong, 0–3(–9)-lobed;

lobes ascending, lanceolate, triangular, or oblong, short, arising at or above mid length, central lobe apex rounded, lateral ones acute to obtuse.

straight to slightly curved, 26–43 mm;

tube 16–24 mm;

beak exserted, adaxially green to yellow, 9–19 mm;

abaxial lip whitish or dark green, reduced, not exserted, sometimes visible through front calyx cleft, 1.5–2 mm, 20% as long as beak, glabrous or sparsely hairy, hairs spreading;

teeth reduced, incurved, deep green, 0.5–1 mm.

colored as bracts, sometimes more deeply pigmented and contrasting with bract coloration, 24–31 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 12–19 mm, 45–65% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 7–11 mm, 25–32% of calyx length;

lobes lanceolate, narrowly triangular, or almost oblong, apex acute, sometimes obtuse or acuminate.