Flora of North America species comparison

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

usually 1, erect, ± openly branched distally, loosely tomentose.

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.

± loosely gray-tomentose;

basal leaf blades linear-lanceolate, 3–10 cm, margins entire or with remote linear lobes, apices acute;

cauline linear, usually not much smaller except among heads, usually entire.

ovoid, 15–20 × 6–8 mm.

campanulate, 12–16 mm.

25–40;

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

sterile corollas slender.

25–35;

corollas blue (white to purple), those of sterile florets raylike, enlarged, 20–25 mm, those of fertile florets 10–15 mm.

bodies green, ovate (outer) to oblong (inner), tomentose or becoming glabrous, margins and erect appendages white to dark brown or black, scarious, fringed with slender teeth ± 1 mm.

appendages truncate, spineless.

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

radiant, in open, rounded or ± flat-topped cymiform arrays, pedunculate.

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

pappi 0.

stramineous or pale blue, 4–5 mm, finely hairy;

pappi of many unequal stiff bristles, 2–4 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.

= 20.

= 24 (Russia).