Flora of North America species comparison

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

1–several, divaricately much branched, often forming rounded mound, puberulent to loosely tomentose.

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.

hispidulous to loosely tomentose, ± glabrate, minutely resin-gland-dotted;

proximal leaves petiolate, blades 10–20 cm, margins 1–2 times pinnately lobed or dissected, rosette with central cluster of spines;

mid sessile, not decurrent, blades ± lanceolate, shorter;

distal blades linear to oblong, entire to coarsely dentate or shallowly lobed.

ovoid to ± campanulate, 20–25 mm.

ovoid to hemispheric, (10–)13–18 mm.

35–60+;

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

many;

corollas white, pink, or pale purple, those of sterile florets slender, 15–20 mm, those of fertile florets 15–20 mm.

25–40+;

corollas purple, ca. 20 mm;

anthers dark blue-purple.

appendages truncate, spineless.

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

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

± brown, 5–6 mm, sericeous;

pappi of bristles 0.5–1.5 mm.

white- or brown-streaked, 3–4 mm, glabrous;

pappi of white bristles 1–2.5(–3) 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.

phyllaries: bodies greenish or stramineous, ovate, scarious–margined, appendages stramineous, spiny–fringed at base, each tipped by stout spreading spine (0.5–)1–3 cm.

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

= 16, 20.