Flora of North America species comparison

several, decumbent, often sprawling, distally ascending, unbranched unless injured, rarely with small, leafy axillary shoots, hairs spreading, whitish, short, ± stiff, eglandular.

greenish.

gray-green, sometimes green or reddish purple, reduced and scalelike on proximal 10–25% of stem, linear, lanceolate, or narrowly elliptic, 1.5–4(–5) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat or involute, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acute;

lobes spreading or spreading-ascending, linear or lanceolate, apex acute.

greenish, rarely reddish purple to grayish green, 0–3(–5)-lobed, lobes spreading-ascending, sometimes divergent, linear.

distally bright red, sometimes orange-red or brick red;

lobe apex acute.

2.5–10 × 2.5–5 cm;

bracts proximally green to deep greenish purple, distally bright red, sometimes brick red or orange-red, linear to lanceolate, 3–5(–7)-lobed;

lobes spreading, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, sometimes expanded near tip, long, arising near base and more distally, apex acute to obtuse.

straight or slightly curved, 25–40(–45) mm;

tube 11–24 mm;

beak exserted, adaxially green to yellow, 10–17(–20) mm;

abaxial lip green, reduced, visible through front cleft, 1.5–2.5 mm, 10–15% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, green, 0.5–1 mm.

tube (12–)14–20 mm;

beak adaxially green to yellow.

colored as bracts, 18–33 mm;

abaxial clefts 6–12 mm, adaxial 8–15 mm, clefts 40–60% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–6 mm, 15–25% of calyx length;

lobes lanceolate or narrowly triangular, apex acute to acuminate.

lateral clefts 3–6 mm.

= 24.