Flora of North America species comparison

1–several, often forming rounded mounds, puberulent to loosely tomentose.

1–several, erect, simple or sparingly branched, villous with septate hairs and thinly arachnoid-tomentose with long, simple hairs.

puberulent to loosely gray-tomentose, becoming ± glabrous, minutely resin-gland-dotted;

proximal leaves petiolate, blades 10–20 cm, 1–3 times pinnately dissected, rosette with central cluster of spines;

mid sessile, not decurrent, blades ovate, usually less than 10 cm, narrowly lobed;

distal blades linear to oblong, entire to shallowly lobed.

thinly villous and ± tomentose, glabrate;

proximal leaves winged-petiolate, blades 10–30 cm, margins entire or remotely dentate to pinnately lobed;

mid and distal leaves sessile, blades decurrent, ovate to oblong or lanceolate, entire or remotely denticulate.

ovoid, 15–20 × 6–8 mm.

ovoid to ± campanulate, 20–25 mm.

25–40;

corollas purple, all ± equal, 15–24 mm;

sterile corollas slender.

35–60+;

sterile florets 10–20, corollas blue (white, purple, or pink), 2.5–4.5 cm, corolla tube elongate.

25–40+;

corollas purple, ca. 20 mm;

anthers dark blue-purple.

appendages truncate, spineless.

disciform, borne singly or in leafy cymiform arrays, sessile or short-pedunculate.

radiant, borne singly or in few-headed corymbiform arrays; (peduncles to 7 cm).

white or brown-streaked, 2.5–3.4 mm, glabrous;

pappi 0.

± brown, 5–6 mm, sericeous;

pappi of bristles 0.5–1.5 mm.

phyllaries: bodies greenish or stramineous, ovate, scarious-margined, appendages stramineous, spiny fringed at base, each tipped by a stout spreading spine 10–25 mm.

phyllaries: bodies greenish, ovate to lanceolate, scarious-margined, appendages appressed, brown to black, unarmed, decurrent on phyllary margins, pectinate-fringed, puberulent;

innermost phyllaries sometimes unappendaged.

= 20.

= 24 (Germany), 40 (Russia), 44 (France).