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–few, few–many branched distally.

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.

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.

ovoid to ± campanulate, 20–25 mm.

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

35–60+;

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

many;

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

25–40+;

corollas purple, ca. 20 mm;

anthers dark blue-purple.

appendages entire, acute or spine-tipped.

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

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

± brown, 5–6 mm, sericeous;

pappi of bristles 0.5–1.5 mm.

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

pappi of many white, unequal, stiff bristles 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 ± stramineous, ovate, appendages purplish, spiny-fringed at base, each tipped by slender spine 5–10 mm.

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

= 24.