Flora of North America species comparison

several to many, erect to ascending, or decumbent, inflorescence erect in high-elevation form, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs dense, spreading, ashy gray, short and long, soft, mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones.

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, brown, purple, or deep gray, linear or narrowly to broadly lanceolate to sometimes ovate, 0.7–3 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, slightly involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acuminate;

lobes ascending to spreading, linear to lanceolate, apex acuminate.

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.

1–8.5 × 2–5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish or deep reddish purple, distally burnt orange, sometimes yellow or deep red to deep burgundy, proximal sometimes lanceolate with narrow lobes, distal or all bracts broadly lanceolate to oblong or slightly oblanceolate, (0–)3–5-lobed, appearing dusty with dense, short stipitate-glandular hairs, many with a nodulose to pillarlike, crystallized, usually pigmented exudate, papillose at 40x;

lobes ascending-spreading, oblong or oblanceolate, short, arising above mid length, central lobe apex rounded, often expanded, rounded, or truncate, lateral ones acute to rounded.

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, 12–18 mm;

tube 9–14 mm;

beak included or tip just barely exserted, adaxially green or pale yellow to deep burgundy, 3–5 mm;

abaxial lip green, burgundy, or reddish purple (in high-elevation form), little inflated, small, included, 2 mm, to 20% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, green, 0.2–0.5 mm.

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 whitish proximally, 1.5–20 mm (shorter in upper elevation form);

abaxial and adaxial clefts 3.5–8 mm, 30–50% of calyx length, all 4 clefts subequal;

lobes linear to narrowly oblong or oblanceolate, apex obtuse to rounded, densely stipitate-glandular.

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.