Flora of North America species comparison

basal;

petiole 0.3–1(–1.5) cm;

blade oblanceolate, (0.5–)1–3(–4) × (0.2–)0.4–1(–1.2) cm, thinly pubescent.

basal or nearly so;

petiole 1–3 cm;

blade broadly oblanceolate, 1–2.5(–5) × 0.4–0.8(–1.2) cm, usually villous.

with involucres in open clusters 2–6 cm diam., greenish or reddish;

bracts 2–3 at proximal node, usually leaflike, often with whorl of sessile bracts about midstem, oblanceolate to elliptic, 0.5–1.5 cm × 1–4 mm, gradually becoming reduced, linear-lanceolate, 0.4–1.2(–1.5) cm × 1.5–5 mm, at distal nodes scalelike, linear and aciculate, acerose, awns straight, 1–3 mm.

with secondary branches suppressed, grayish;

bracts 2, similar to proximal leaf blades only reduced, short-petiolate, becoming linear and aciculate at distal nodes, acerose, 1–3 cm × 6–10 mm, awns absent.

3–10+, greenish or reddish, urceolate, strongly ventricose basally, 4–4.5 mm, without scarious or membranous margins, corrugate, thinly pubescent;

teeth spreading, unequal, 1–3 mm;

awns straight or uncinate with longer anterior one straight, mostly 2 mm, others uncinate, 0.5–1 mm.

1, grayish, cylindric, not ventricose,3–4(–4.5) mm, with white, scarious margins between teeth, finely corrugate, thinly pubescent;

teeth erect, equal, 0.3–0.7(–1) mm;

awns straight, with longer ones 0.7–1.3 mm and anterior one mostly 1.3 mm, these alternating with shorter, 0.5–1(–1.2) mm ones.

exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube white to greenish yellow and tepals red to maroon, cylindric, 4–4.5 mm, sparsely pubescent;

tepals connate 1/2 their length, dimorphic, oblong, those of outer whorl spreading and recurved, slightly longer than those of inner whorl, broadly obcordate, slightly erose or at least wavy and rounded apically, those of inner whorl erect, narrower, fimbriate and truncate or somewhat 2-lobed apically, erect;

stamens 9, exserted;

filaments distinct, 3.5–4 mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red or maroon, oblong, 1–1.3 mm.

exserted;

perianth bicolored with floral tube white and tepals white to lavender or rose, cylindric, (4–)5–6 mm, pubescent on proximal 1/2;

tepals connate 1/4 their length, dimorphic, oblong, truncate and erose to denticulate, sometimes individual lobes entire, 2-lobed or even cuspidate apically, those of outer lobes longer and wider than inner ones;

stamens 9, included;

filaments distinct, 2–4.5 mm, glabrous;

anthers pink to red or maroon, oblong, 0.6–0.8(–1) mm.

brown, globose-lenticular, 3–3.5 mm.

light brown, lenticular-globose, 3–4.5 mm.

= 40, 42, 44.