Flora of North America species comparison

single, erect, villous with septate trichomes, sometimes ± glabrate, sometimes distally thinly tomentose;

branches few–many, ascending.

1, erect, puberulent to pilose with jointed trichomes, sometimes also thinly arachnoid;

branches 0–many, ascending, often nodding at tips.

blades oblanceolate to elliptic or ovate, 10–40 × 1–13 cm, margins flat, finely spiny-toothed and otherwise undivided to coarsely toothed or shallowly pinnatifid, lobes broadly triangular, main spines 1–5 mm, abaxial faces white-tomentose, adaxial faces green, glabrate to villous with septate trichomes;

basal usually absent at flowering, winged-petiolate, bases tapered;

principal cauline well distributed, gradually reduced, bases narrowed, sometimes weakly clasping;

distal cauline well developed.

blades oblong to lanceolate or oblanceolate, 10–30 × 2–5 cm, margins flat to undulate, spinulose and otherwise entire to coarsely dentate or shallowly to deeply pinnatifid, lobes well separated, spinulose to coarsely few-dentate, main spines slender to stout, 1–15 mm, one or both faces thinly pilose, sometimes thinly arachnoid, green and ± glabrescent at maturity;

basal usually absent at flowering, sessile or winged-petiolate;

principal cauline well distributed, proximal absent at flowering, moderately reduced distally, winged-petiolate or sessile (proximal), sessile and auriculate-clasping to slightly decurrent 0–2 cm;

distal well developed, spreading, lobed or unlobed.

0–5 cm (leafy-bracted).

0–4 cm.

ovoid to broadly cylindric or campanulate, (2–)2.5–3.5(–4) × (1.5–)2–3(–4) cm, thinly arachnoid.

hemispheric to subspheric, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–3 cm, glabrous to finely arachnoid and/or pilose, often long pilose-ciliate with arachnoid trichomes connecting adjacent phyllaries.

tips 4–6 mm.

pink to purple (white), 20–35 mm, tubes 10–16 mm, throats 5–12 mm, lobes 5–9 mm.

ochroleucous to ± yellow (rarely white or purple), 11–17 mm, tubes 5.5–11 mm, throats 2–4 mm, lobes 3–5 mm;

style tips 2–4 mm.

in 10–20 series, strongly imbricate, greenish with subapical darker central zone, ovate (outer) to lanceolate (inner), abaxial faces with a narrow glutinous ridge (milky when fresh, dark when dry), outer and middle entire, bodies appressed, spines slender, abruptly spreading, 3–4 mm;

apices of inner phyllaries spreading, narrow, flattened, entire, spines spreading, slender, 3–4 mm;

apices of inner phyllaries spreading, narrow, flattened, ± dilated, ± erose or finely serrulate.

in 5–8 series, imbricate to subequal, proximally greenish, distally darker, becoming brownish, linear to narrowly lanceolate, outer often nearly as long as inner, abaxial faces with poorly developed glutinous ridge;

outer and mid bases appressed, apices loosely ascending to spreading, bodies entire to spiny-ciliate or terminal appendages expanded, ± scarious, pectinately fringed, spines straight, 2–6 mm;

apices of inner flat or spine-tipped, sometimes expanded and fimbriate.

1–many, in corymbiform or paniculiform arrays, (± elevated above principal cauline leaves), not subtended by ring of spiny bracts.

1–many, ± erect, loosely to densely clustered at tip of main stem and branches in subcapitate to racemiform arrays, often also in distal leaf axils, closely subtended by clusters of unlobed to deeply dissected, often very spiny bracts.

tan to dark brown, 4–5.5 mm, apical collars stramineous, 0.5–1 mm;

pappi 12–24 mm.

tan to dark brown, 4–6 mm, apical collars narrow, not differently colored;

pappi 9–15 mm.

= 18.

= 34.