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.

several to many, ascending to erect, ± decumbent at base, branched or unbranched, sometimes with short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs spreading to ascending, long, soft to ± stiff, mixed with short-eglandular ones.

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.

purple or green, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3–5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, partly involute, 3–5-lobed, apex acuminate, acute, or rounded;

lobes sometimes divergent, spreading-ascending, linear, apex obtuse to rounded.

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.

(2.5–)5–15 × 1.5–2 cm;

bracts proximally green to dull purplish, distally pale reddish purple, dull red, pale salmon, pale orange, or bright to pale yellow, oblong, 3(–5)-lobed;

lobes spreading to ascending, linear to oblanceolate, distal pair, if present, short and toothlike, short to long, arising at or above mid length, center lobe apex rounded to truncate, lateral lobes obtuse to rounded.

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, 11–16 mm;

tube 10–13 mm;

beak included or tip exserted;

beak adaxially green, 4–5 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, reduced, with narrow pouches, 2.5–3 mm, 30–45% as long as beak;

teeth reduced to minute apiculations, dark green, 0.5–1 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 usually whitish, distally colored as bracts, 13–18 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 5–6(–9) mm, ca. 50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–1.2 mm, ca. 18% of calyx length;

lobes ± hemispheric, segments often curved outwards, exposing corollas, apex rounded to obtuse, rarely acute.

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

= 24.