Flora of North America species comparison

1–several, erect, gray- or white-tomentose;

branches 0–few, ascending.

usually 1, erect, thinly arachnoid-tomentose, sparsely pilose distally with short, jointed trichomes;

branches few to many, often arising from proximal nodes, ascending.

blades oblong-oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 4–40 × 1–10 cm, bases usually not decurrent, finely spiny-toothed and undivided to coarsely toothed or deeply pinnatifid, lobes broadly triangular to linear-lanceolate, often revolute-margined, main spines 1–7 mm, abaxial faces white-tomentose, adaxial faces green, thinly tomentose, ± glabrate;

basal usually absent or withered at flowering, winged petiolate;

principal cauline proximally winged-petiolate, distally sessile, well distributed, gradually reduced, bases usually not decurrent;

distal cauline well developed.

blades oblong to elliptic, 15–30 × 2–6 cm, often unlobed and merely spinulose or spiny-dentate, sometimes pinnatifid ca. halfway to midveins, lobes separated by broad sinuses, undivided to coarsely few-dentate, main spines slender, 2–5(–10) mm, abaxial faces ± persistently thinly gray-tomentose, adaxial green, glabrous to thinly tomentose, sometimes sparsely pilose on midveins;

basal sometimes present at flowering, sessile or short winged-petiolate;

principal cauline sessile, progressively reduced, becoming bractlike distally, mid and distal bases broadly clasping;

distal reduced to linear or lanceolate bracts.

0–5 cm (elevated above distal leaves).

(0–)3–20 cm.

ovoid to broadly campanulate, 2–3.5 × 2.5–3.5 cm, thinly arachnoid.

hemispheric to subspheric, 1.3–2.5 × (1–)1.5–2.5 cm, glabrous to loosely floccose.

purple (white), 23–36 mm, tubes 12–15 mm, throats 6–8.5 mm, lobes 5–9 mm;

style tips 4–7 mm.

lavender to reddish purple, (16–)19–22 mm, tubes 6–9 mm, throats 5–8 mm, lobes 5–7 mm, style tips 5–6 mm.

in 7–12 series, strongly imbricate, greenish with subapical darker central zone, ovate or lanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), abaxial faces with prominent glutinous ridge;

outer and middle entire, bodies appressed, entire, acute, spines abruptly spreading, slender, 2–4 mm;

apices of inner spreading, flexuous, narrow, flattened, finely serrulate, ± scabrous.

in 5–8(–10) series, strongly imbricate, green with darker green to brown subapical patch, broadly ovate or oblong (outer) to lanceolate (inner), abaxial faces with prominent to obscure glutinous ridge;

outer and middle appressed, spines or terminal appendages spreading to reflexed, bodies entire or with expanded, ± scarious, ± pectinately fringed terminal appendages, tips merely mucronate or with weak spines spreading to reflexed, 1–3 mm;

apices of inner often flexuous, flat, scarious, serrulate to expanded and pectinately fringed.

erect, borne singly and terminal on main stem and branches, or few in corymbiform arrays from distal axils (not subtended by ring of spiny-margined bracts).

few–many, in ± openly branched corymbiform or paniculiform arrays;

not closely subtended by clustered leafy bracts.

light brown, 3–5 mm, apical collars stramineous, 0.5–1 mm;

pappi (white or tawny) 20–30 mm.

dark brown, 4–5 mm, apical collars stramineous or not differently colored, very narrow;

pappi 15–17 mm.

= 22, 24.