Flora of North America species comparison

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

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

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.

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.

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

ovoid to ± campanulate, 20–25 mm.

many;

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

sterile florets slender, inconspicuous.

35–60+;

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

25–40+;

corollas purple, ca. 20 mm;

anthers dark blue-purple.

appendages scarious, obtuse or abruptly spine tipped.

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

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

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.

± brown, 5–6 mm, sericeous;

pappi of bristles 0.5–1.5 mm.

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

= 16.

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