Flora of North America species comparison

1–few, few–many branched distally.

1–few, erect or ascending, openly branched distally, villous to scabrous with septate hairs and loosely tomentose, ± glabrate.

basal and proximal cauline petiolate or tapering to base, usually absent at anthesis, blades oblong to oblanceolate, 2–15 cm, margins entire to dentate or pinnately lobed;

cauline long-decurrent, blades linear to oblong or oblanceolate, 1–5 cm, entire or dentate.

basal and proximal cauline petiolate, blades oblanceolate or elliptic, 5–25 cm, margins entire or shallowly dentate to irregularly pinnately lobed;

distal cauline sessile, not decurrent, gradually smaller, blades linear to lanceolate, entire or dentate.

ovoid, 10–15 mm, loosely cobwebby-tomentose or becoming glabrous.

ovoid to campanulate or hemispheric, 15–18 mm, usually ± as wide as high.

many;

corollas yellow, those of sterile florets 10–12 mm, slender, inconspicuous, those of fertile florets 10–12 mm.

40–100+, all fertile;

corollas purple (rarely white), 15–18 mm.

appendages entire, acute or spine-tipped.

tips truncate, irregularly dentate or lobed.

disciform, 1–few at branch tips, borne singly or in open leafy corymbiform arrays, sometimes clustered in distal axils, sessile or pedunculate.

discoid, in few-headed corymbiform arrays, borne on leafy-bracted peduncles.

dull white or light brown, ca. 2.5 mm, finely hairy;

pappi of many white, unequal, stiff bristles 2.5–3 mm.

tan, 2.5–3 mm, finely hairy;

pappi of many blackish, unequal, sometimes deciduous bristles 0.5–1 mm.

phyllaries: bodies ± stramineous, ovate, appendages purplish, spiny-fringed at base, each tipped by slender spine 5–10 mm.

phyllaries: bodies lanceolate to ovate, loosely tomentose or glabrous, bases usually ± concealed by expanded appendages, appendages erect, overlapping, dark brown to black, flat, margins pectinately dissected into numerous wiry lobes.

= 24.

= 22, 44.