Flora of North America species comparison

simple or often branched from base, forming rounded bushy plants, gray-tomentose.

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

gray-tomentose and scabrous to short-bristly;

basal and proximal cauline petiolate or tapered to base, usually absent at anthesis, blades 5–15 cm, margins pinnately lobed or dissected;

cauline long-decurrent, blades linear to oblong, 1–10 cm, entire.

± 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, 13–17 mm, loosely cobwebby-tomentose or becoming glabrous.

campanulate, 12–16 mm.

many;

corollas yellow, all ± equal, 13–20 mm;

sterile florets slender, inconspicuous.

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 scarious, obtuse or abruptly spine tipped.

disciform, borne singly or in open leafy arrays, long-pedunculate.

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

dimorphic, 2–3 mm, glabrous, outer dark brown, without pappi, inner white or light brown, mottled;

pappi of many white, unequal bristles 2–4 mm, fine.

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

pappi of many unequal stiff bristles, 2–4 mm.

phyllaries: bodies pale green, ovate, appendages stramineous to brown, each with palmately radiating cluster of spines, and stout central spine 10–25 mm.

= 16.

= 24 (Russia).