Flora of North America species comparison

usually 1, erect, subglabrous to puberulent and/or tomentose;

branches 0–several, stiffly ascending.

1–several, erect or ascending, glabrous or thinly arachnoid-tomentose;

branches 0–10+, slender, usually arising in distal 1/2, ascending.

blades ± elliptic, 8–35 × 4–8 cm, divided about halfway to midveins, lobes spreading, triangular, coarsely dentate or with a few broad lobes, obtuse to acute, main spines 1–5 mm, abaxial faces green or gray, thinly tomentose, adaxial green and glabrous to sparingly pilose;

basal often present at flowering, spiny winged-petiolate;

main cauline reduced distally, bases clasping;

distal much reduced, linear-oblong, usually less deeply lobed and often spinier than proximal.

blades oblong to oblanceolate or elliptic, 5–40 × 3–11 cm, unlobed and merely spinulose-dentate or more commonly regularly deeply pinnatifid, lobes well separated to crowded, linear to triangular-ovate, ascending-spreading to retrorse, merely spinulose to coarsely dentate or proximally few-lobed, main spines 2–5(–7) mm, slender, abaxial faces green to gray, glabrous or thinly to densely arachnoid-tomentose, sometimes glabrate, often villous with septate trichomes along veins, adaxial green, glabrous;

basal usually present at flowering, sessile or petiolate;

principal cauline well distributed, proximal usually winged-petiolate, mid sessile, decurrent as spiny wings 1–3 cm;

distal cauline ± reduced.

0–20 cm.

0–30 cm.

broadly cylindric to narrowly campanulate, 3–5 × 2–4 cm, loosely arachnoid or ± glabrous, finely short-ciliate.

ovoid to campanulate, 1.5–3 × 1–3 cm, glabrous to thinly arachnoid-tomentose and/or villous-ciliate, with long septate trichomes connecting adjacent phyllaries.

red to reddish purple, 30–45 mm, tubes 10–20 mm, throats 10–16 mm, lobes 9–11 mm;

style tips 3.5–5 mm.

creamy white to pale pinkish, 16–20 mm, tubes 6.5–9 mm, throats 4–7.5 mm, lobes 4–6 mm;

style tips 3.5–5 mm.

in 6–8 series, imbricate, outer green, inner purple to red, linear-lanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), abaxial faces without glutinous ridge;

outer and mid bodies short, appressed, entire or spinulose-ciliate, apices long-spreading to ascending, entire or spinulose-ciliate or rarely with expanded, fringed appendages, spines straight, weak, 1–3 mm;

apices of inner red to purple, straight or rarely twisted, long, flat, entire.

in 5–6 series, imbricate or subequal, outer green or with maroon to dark brown subapical patch or appendage, linear to ovate, abaxial faces with narrow glutinous ridge that may be concealed by trichomes;

outer and middle with bases appressed, apical appendages erect or ascending, ovate to linear-lanceolate or acicular, entire or spinulose to broadly expanded, scarious, and erose-dentate, apical appendages, spines erect or ascending, 1–5 mm, ± flattened;

apices of inner sometimes flexuous or reflexed, narrow, flat, entire or ± expanded, scarious and lacerate-dentate.

1–6, borne singly or in corymbiform, racemiform, or spiciform arrays.

few–many, borne singly or clustered in corymbiform, paniculiform, or racemiform arrays at tips of main stem and branches, sometimes also in distal axils not closely subtended by clustered leafy bracts.

brown, 6–7 mm, apical collars narrow;

pappi 25–40 mm.

tan to dark brown, 5–6 mm, apical collars not or scarcely differentiated;

pappi 14–16 mm.

= 32, 64.