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.

basal or nearly so;

petiole 1–4(–7) cm;

blade oblanceolate, 1.5–5 × 0.2–0.7(–1) cm, villous.

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

petiole present;

blade linear to oblanceolate or spatulate, entire apically.

with secondary branches not suppressed except in terminal clusters of involucres, green to reddish;

bracts 2, similar to proximal leaf blades only reduced, short-petiolate, becoming linear and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 1–5 cm × 2–5(–7) mm, awns absent.

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.

absent.

1, greenish, cylindric, not ventricose, 2.5–4 mm, with white to pinkish, thin scarious margins restricted to basal portion of teeth, not corrugate, thinly pubescent abaxially;

teeth spreading, equal, 0.3–0.8(–1) mm;

awns uncinate with longer ones 0.7–1.3 mm and anterior one mostly 1–1.3 mm, these alternating with shorter (0.3–0.7 mm) ones.

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

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

slightly exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube white and tepals white to rose, cylindric, 2.5–4 mm, pubescent abaxially;

tepals connate 1/4 their length, monomorphic, oblanceolate to narrowly oblong, usually truncate to rounded and erose or denticulate apically, occasionally distinctly cuspidate;

stamens 9, included;

filaments distinct, 2–3.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red or maroon, oblong, 0.6–0.8 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.

light brown, globose-lenticular, 3.5–4 mm.

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

embryo straight or curved.

= 10.