Flora of North America species comparison

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

branches 0–several, stiffly ascending.

1–20+, erect or ascending, densely gray-tomentose with non-septate trichomes;

branches 0 or few, usually 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 narrowly elliptic, 10–30 × 2–8 cm, strongly undulate, margins coarsely dentate or shallowly to deeply pinnatifid with 8–15 pairs of lobes 0.5–2 cm, often revolute, lobes ± triangular, closely spaced, spreading, spinose-dentate and cleft into 2–5 spine-tipped divisions, main spines 5–20 mm, yellowish, abaxial faces densely white-tomentose, adaxial thinly gray-tomentose;

basal usually present at flowering, winged-petiolate;

principal cauline sessile, progressively reduced distally, bases ± auriculate to long-decurrent as spiny wings;

distal cauline usually much reduced, less lobed.

0–20 cm.

0–4 cm.

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

ovoid to hemispheric or broadly campanulate, 2.5–4.5 × 2.5–4.5 cm in first-formed heads, often smaller in later ones, loosely arachnoid on phyllary margins or glabrate.

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.

white or pale lavender to purple, pink, or red, 25–45 mm, tubes 8–25 mm, throats 6–17 mm, lobes 6–15 mm;

style tips 2–8 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 5–10 series, imbricate, ovate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), margins entire, abaxial faces with narrow glutinous ridge;

outer and middle appressed, spines spreading, 3–12 mm;

apices of inner often flexuous, expanded and flat, scabrid-margined, sometimes erose, spineless.

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

1–few, in leafy, ± corymbiform arrays.

brown, 6–7 mm, apical collars narrow;

pappi 25–40 mm.

light brown, sometimes with lighter or darker streaks, 6–9 mm, apical collars colored like the body, narrow;

pappi (white or tawny), 20–40 mm, usually noticeably shorter than corolla.

= 32, 64.

= 30, 31, 32, 34.