Flora of North America species comparison

prostrate or decumbent to erect, pubescent;

aerial flowering stems arising [at nodes of caudex branches, at distal nodes of aerial stems or] directly from the root, decumbent to erect, slender [to stout and solid, not disarticulating in ringlike segments], sometimes disarticulating at each node.

persistent or quickly deciduous, basal and rosulate or basal and cauline, alternate;

petiole present;

blade linear to oblanceolate or spatulate, entire apically.

basal;

petiole 0.5–2(–3.5) cm;

blade oblanceolate to narrowly oblong, 0.5–2.5(–4) × 0.2–0.6(–1.2) cm, thinly pubescent.

terminal, cymose or capitate, uniparous due to suppression of secondaries;

branches open and spreading or erect, typically trichotomously branched at proximal node, otherwise dichotomous, sometimes brittle and disarticulating into segments, round, pubescent [or rarely glabrous];

bracts mostly 2, opposite, sometimes numerous, whorled, distinct, leaflike to subulate or linear, occasionally awn-tipped, thinly pubescent (sometimes appressed), hirsute, villous, strigose, or tomentose, rarely woolly-floccose or minutely glandular.

with involucres in small, open clusters 0.3–1 cm diam., greenish or grayish to reddish;

bracts 2, sessile, usually leaflike, oblanceolate to elliptic, 0.5–1.5 cm × 1.5–7 mm, gradually reduced and becoming scalelike at distal nodes, linear, aciculate, acerose, 0.1–0.5 cm × 1–2 mm, awns straight, 0.4–1 mm.

absent.

1–6+ per node, 3–6-ribbed, tubular, cylindric to urceolate or turbinate to campanulate;

teeth 3, 5, or 6, awn-tipped.

3–5, greenish or grayish to reddish, urceolate, slightly ventricose basally, 1.5–2 mm, corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, pubescent;

teeth widely spreading to divergent or recurved, equal, 0.5–1.5 mm or 1–3 mm;

awns uncinate or straight, unequal, alternating 0.5–1.5 mm and 0.2–0.5 mm.

bisexual, 1(–2) per involucre, pedicellate;

perianth white to yellow or pink to rose-pink, red, maroon or purple, cylindric, funnelform, or campanulate when open, cylindric when closed, glabrous or pubescent abaxially;

tepals (5–)6, connate 2/3 their length, monomorphic or dimorphic, entire, emarginate, or lobed to laciniate apically;

stamens 3, 6, or 9, or variously 3–9;

filaments distinct or connate into staminal tube, sometimes adnate to floral tube, glabrous or pubescent;

anthers maroon to red or cream to white or yellow, oval to oblong;

styles erect to spreading.

slightly exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube greenish white and tepals white, cylindric, 2.5–3 mm, sparsely pubescent;

tepals connate 2/3 their length, slightly dimorphic, those of outer whorl oblong to oblong-ovate, 1.5 times longer than those of inner whorl, rounded, erose or rarely some entire to denticulate apically, those of inner whorl linear-oblanceolate, acute, entire or denticulate apically;

stamens 9, included;

filaments distinct, 2–2.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers white, ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm.

included, light brown to dark brown or black, not winged, lenticular, globose-lenticular, or 3-gonous, glabrous.

brown, globose-lenticular, 2.5–3 mm.

embryo straight or curved.

= 10.