Flora of North America species comparison

sometimes disarticulating at each node.

basal;

petiole 0.5–2 cm;

blade oblanceolate, 0.5–2.5 × 0.3–0.8 cm, thinly pubescent.

blades linear to lanceolate, obovate, round, or spatulate.

with involucres in dense clusters 1–2 cm diam., yellowish green;

bracts 2, without whorl of sessile bracts about midstem, usually leaflike, oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5 cm × 1.5–3 mm, gradually reduced and becoming scalelike at distal nodes, linear, aciculate, acerose, 0.3–0.8 cm × 1–2 mm, awns straight, 1–2.5 mm.

bracts mostly 2, opposite, scalelike or if leaflike then similar to basal leaves only reduced, occasionally deciduous in early anthesis, with or without awns.

3–10+, yellowish green, urceolate, slightly ventricose basally, 3–4.5 mm, slightly corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, thinly pubescent;

teeth spreading, unequal, 1–3 mm;

awns straight or uncinate with longer anterior one straight or slightly curved, mostly 2 mm, others uncinate, 0.5–1.5 mm.

cylindric to narrowly turbinate, campanulate, or urceolate, occasionally ventricose basally, 3-,5-, or 6-toothed, with or without membranous or scarious margins;

teeth erect to spreading or divergent, connate at least 1/2 their length, typically shallow, mostly unequal, with alternating long and short awns, often with anterior one longest.

exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube greenish white to white and the lobes white to pinkish, cylindric, 5–6 mm, sparsely pubescent;

tepals connate 2/3 their length, dimorphic, obovate, those of outer whorl erect, slightly longer than those of inner whorl, 2-lobed apically, those of inner whorl erect, 2-lobed, erose apically;

stamens 9, included;

filaments distinct, 5–5.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers yellow to golden, oblong, 1–1.2 mm.

1(–2), white to pink or rose, maroon or purple, or yellow, thinly pubescent at least along midribs abaxially;

stamens 3–9;

filaments adnate at base of floral tube or faucially;

filaments sometimes connate into short tube.

brown, globose-lenticular, 3–3.5 mm.

brown, lenticular or globose-lenticular, or 3-gonous.

embryo straight or rarely curved.

= ca. 38.