Flora of North America species comparison

few to many, erect to ascending, rarely proximally decumbent or creeping and rooting at nodes, usually branched, glabrous, glabrate, or hairy, hairs spreading to ± retrorse, short to long, soft to stiff, rarely stipitate-glandular.

solitary or few, erect, unbranched, sometimes branched, glabrous or hairs sparse proximally, spreading, long, soft distally.

green to purple, linear to lanceolate, narrowly elliptic, narrowly oblong, or ovate, (1.5–)3–8(–9.5) cm, thin and not fleshy or slightly to moderately thickened and slightly fleshy, margins plane, rarely wavy, flat to involute, whole leaf sometimes recurved downward, 0(–5)-lobed, apex acute to obtuse, sometimes rounded;

lobes ascending-spreading, narrowly lanceolate, apex acute.

green, sometimes purple-tinged, linear to narrowly lanceolate, (0.4–)1–4 cm, not fleshy, thin and flexible or thick and ± brittle, margins plane, involute, 0-lobed, apex acuminate.

3–15(–22) × 1.5–5.5 cm, often bearing a thin, white, powdery exudate, especially on bract surfaces;

bracts greenish, scarlet, red, red-orange, or pale orange throughout, sometimes pink, magenta, pink-purple, yellow, greenish yellow, white, or salmon throughout, or proximally greenish, distally colored as above, lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 0–5(–7)-lobed, central lobes sometimes distally apiculate;

lobes erect, linear to lanceolate, oblong, or oblanceolate, short or medium length, arising near or above mid length, central lobe apex obtuse, rounded, or truncate, lateral ones rounded to acute or acuminate.

2–15 × 2–3 cm;

bracts green throughout, sometimes purplish tinged, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 0-lobed, apex acute.

0–5 mm.

slightly curved, 20–48 mm;

tube 12–26 mm;

abaxial lip usually not exserted, though often visible in front calyx cleft, beak partially to fully exserted;

beak adaxially green to yellow-green or whitish, (9–)14–25 mm;

abaxial lip incurved or ascending, deep green or green, sometimes deep purple or yellowish, reduced, not inflated, visible in front cleft, 0.5–3.5 mm, 5–20% as long as beak (to ca. 33% as long as beak in some populations of var. miniata);

teeth incurved or erect, green or white, 0.7–1.5 mm.

straight, 11–26 mm;

tube 10–22 mm;

abaxial lip, beak, and part of tube exserted from calyx;

beak adaxially white or yellow, 3–6 mm;

abaxial lip yellow, sometimes orange, paler near teeth, prominent, deeply saccate with 3 lobes at ca. 90° from one another, pouches 6–10 mm wide, 3–4 mm deep, abruptly widening from tube, sacs ± round or ± rounded-triangular from above, villous within at base of teeth, 4–5 mm (2–4 mm from sinus), 70–90% as long as beak, puberulent;

teeth erect, white, sometimes with deeply colored bases, 0.5–2 mm.

colored as bracts, 15–38 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 4–24 mm, 35–70% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral (1–)3–8(–12) mm, 5–30% of calyx length;

lobes linear or narrowly lanceolate to narrowly triangular, apex acute to acuminate or obtuse.

proximally green, pale, or purplish, distally purple or green, 5.5–11 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 2–5 mm, 30–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1.5–2.5 mm, 25–30% of calyx length;

lobes linear-lanceolate to narrowly triangular, apex acute to acuminate.

= 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144.

= 24.