Flora of North America species comparison

usually 1, erect, stout, ± fleshy, simple, very leafy, densely villous or tomentose with septate trichomes.

usually 1, thinly to densely gray- or white-tomentose, sometimes ± glabrate;

branches few–many, usually from above mid or near base in compact, moundlike dwarf plants, ascending to spreading.

blades linear-oblong to oblanceolate (elliptic), 5–20(–25) × 1–4(–7) cm, subentire to dentate or pinnatifid, lobes lance-oblong to triangular, spinulose to spiny-dentate or shallowly lobed, main spines slender, 2–5(–10) mm, abaxial faces often thinly gray- or white-tomentose with felted arachnoid trichomes, ± villous along major veins with septate trichomes, adaxial green, glabrous to thinly arachnoid, often ± villous with septate trichomes;

basal usually present at flowering, spiny winged-petiolate or sessile;

principal cauline well distributed, proximally winged-petiolate, distally sessile, not or only slightly reduced;

distal often narrower than proximal.

blades oblong–elliptic to oblanceolate, 6–40 × 1.5–10+ cm, shallowly to deeply pinnatifid, lobes usually rigidly spreading, undivided or with 1–2 pairs of coarse teeth or lobes, main spines 5–15 mm, both faces gray- to white-tomentose, sometimes ± glabrate or adaxial faces green, thinly arachnoid-tomentose;

basal sometimes present at flowering, petiolate or sessile and bases tapered, spiny-winged;

principal cauline much reduced distally, sessile, bases decurrent or not, as spiny wings;

distal much reduced, linear, ± bractlike.

0–1 cm.

1–30 cm.

broadly ovoid, 2–2.5 × 1.5–2 cm, green, glabrous to densely villous with septate trichomes on margins.

ovoid to spheric, 1.5–5 × 1.5–8 cm, arachnoid to ± loosely tomentose, often adjacent phyllaries connected by conspicuous arachnoid trichomes, sometimes glabrous or glabrate.

white to pale pink, 21–25 mm, tubes 12–14 mm, throats (very slender, scarcely larger than tubes) 6–7 mm, lobes 3–4 mm;

style tips 2.5–3 mm, short exserted.

white to lavender, pink, rose-purple, or red, 18–40 mm, tubes 8–18 mm, throats 5–7 mm, lobes 5–10 mm;

style tips 4–5 mm.

in 4–6 series, imbricate, lanceolate or ovate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), bases appressed, margins of outer entire, abaxial faces without glutinous ridge, apices appressed to ascending, spines straight, slender, 2–3 mm;

apices of inner erect, straight.

in 7–10 series, subequal to strongly imbricate, green or stramineous to purple-tinged, linear to narrowly lanceolate, abaxial faces without glutinous ridge;

outer and mid bodies appressed, entire, apices deflexed to spreading or ascending, short-triangular to elongate, linear-acicular, spines spreading to reflexed, 1–10+ mm;

apices of inner erect, often flexuous, flat.

few–many, erect, sessile or subsessile, crowded in dense, woolly, leafy-bracted, subcapitate arrays, closely subtended and overtopped by crowded leafy bracts.

1–many in loose to tight clusters (barely raised above rosette in dwarf plants).

light brown, 4–5.5 mm, apical collars yellow, narrow;

pappi 23–29 mm, exceeding corollas.

± brown, 5–6 mm, apical collars not differentiated;

pappi 15–30 mm.

= 34.