Flora of North America species comparison

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

branches few–many, ascending.

1–few, erect, closely gray-tomentose;

branches 0–few, ascending.

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 lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 10–25 × 1–4 cm, unlobed and merely spinulose or pinnately lobed about halfway to midveins, often terminal lobes long-tapered, lobes short, lanceolate to triangular, entire to few toothed or lobed, well separated by wide, U-shaped sinuses, main spines slender, 2–5 mm, abaxial faces gray-tomentose, adaxial green, glabrous to thinly tomentose;

basal usually present at flowering, winged-petiolate;

principal cauline winged-petiolate proximally, mid and distal sessile, progressively reduced distally, bases not or scarcely decurrent, sometimes distal weakly clasping;

distalmost often reduced to lanceolate or linear, long-acuminate bracts.

0–5 cm (leafy-bracted).

0–10 cm.

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

hemispheric to subcylindric, 1.5–2.2 × 1.5–2.5 cm, thinly floccose-tomentose or glabrate.

tips 4–6 mm.

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

white or pink to pale purple, 20–28 mm, tubes 9–14 mm, throats 5–7.5 mm, lobes 5–10 mm;

style tips 2.5–6 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 6–9 series, imbricate, pale green with darker apices, brownish when dry, lanceolate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), margins of outer entire, abaxial faces with narrow glutinous ridge;

outer and middle appressed proximally, apices spreading to ascending, bodies entire or rarely spinulose, spines slender, 3–7 mm;

apices of inner often dark purple or blackish, flexuous, scarious, entire to pectinate-fringed, tapered or expanded.

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

1–6, borne singly or few at branch tips in corymbiform arrays.

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

pappi 12–24 mm.

stramineous with brownish streaks, 6.5–7 mm, apical collars colored like body, narrow;

pappi 15–20 mm.

= 18.

= 28.