Flora of North America species comparison

usually single, erect, glabrous to ± tomentose, sometimes sparsely villous with septate trichomes;

branches few, usually distal, ascending.

blades linear to oblanceolate or elliptic, 10–30 × 1–5 cm, unlobed and spinulose to irregularly dentate or pinnatifid, lobes narrowly to broadly triangular, sometimes coarsely toothed or lobed toward base, acuminate, main spines slender, 1–5 mm, abaxial faces gray-tomentose, adaxial glabrous or sparsely villous with septate trichomes;

basal often present at flowering, petioles slender, winged, bases long-tapered;

principal cauline relatively few (10–25), petiolate or distal sessile, mostly restricted to proximal 1/2 of stems, progressively reduced distally, bases tapered, not decurrent;

distal cauline widely separated, linear to narrowly elliptic, reduced, becoming ± bractlike, merely spinulose to irregularly dentate or shallowly lobed.

slender, 1–15 cm (not overtopped by distal leaves).

narrowly ovoid to campanulate, 1.2–2 × 1.2–2 cm, thinly arachnoid-ciliate.

pink-purple (white), 15–20 mm, tubes 5–9 mm, throats 5–7 mm (noticeably wider than tubes), lobes 4–5 mm;

style tips 4 mm.

in 7–10 series, imbricate, green, linear to lanceolate (outer) or linear to linear-lanceolate (inner), abaxial faces with narrow, glutinous ridge;

outer and middle ascending to appressed, bodies entire, apices widely spreading (at least the outer), spines ascending to spreading (at least the outer), slender, 1–4 mm;

apices of inner phyllaries flat, often twisted, acuminate.

(1–)2–9(–many), in paniculiform arrays.

light brown, 3–4 mm, apical collars yellowish, 0.5–1 mm;

pappi 12–14 mm.

= 20, 22.