Flora of North America species comparison

often spreading or prostrate, usually branched throughout, usually reddish, ± loosely tomentose.

usually several–many from base, spreading, ± openly branched distally, loosely gray-tomentose.

mostly cauline, sessile and often short-decurrent or proximal tapering to winged petioles, blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, 6–25 cm, margins coarsely dentate or pinnately lobed, lobes and teeth armed with short, weak spines, faces sparsely to densely hairy with jointed multicellular hairs and slender cobwebby hairs, resin-gland-dotted.

± loosely gray-tomentose;

basal and proximal cauline petiolate, blades oblong, 5–10 cm, margins entire or pinnatifid with terminal segment largest, apices obtuse;

mid and distal cauline sessile, linear-lanceolate to oblong, blades usually not much smaller, entire, mucronate.

± spheric, 20–40 mm.

ovoid to campanulate, 15–20 mm.

many;

corollas yellow, those of sterile florets linear, 3-lobed, not exceeding disc corollas, very slender, those of disc florets 19–24 mm.

25–35;

corollas of sterile florets spreading, dark blue, 25–30 mm, enlarged, those of fertile florets purple, ca. 15 mm.

in several series, tightly overlapping, outer ovate with tightly appressed bases and spreading spine tips, inner lanceolate, tipped by pinnately divided spines more than 5 mm.

bodies green, ovate (outer) to oblong (inner), glabrous, margins and erect appendages silvery white to brown, scarious, fringed with slender teeth 1.5–2 mm.

disciform, borne singly, sessile, each subtended by involucre-like cluster of leaf-like bracts.

radiant, borne singly, pedunculate.

cylindric, slightly curved, 8–11 mm, with 20 prominent ribs, tipped by a 10-dentate rim, glabrous, attachment scars lateral;

pappi of 2 series of awns, outer 9–10 mm, smooth or ± roughened, inner 2–5 mm, roughened with short spreading hairs.

brown, 4.5–6 mm, puberulent near attachment scar, otherwise glabrous;

pappi of outer series of unequal stiff bristles 2–8 mm, inner series of slender scales ca. 1.5 mm.

= 22.

= 16 (Armenia).