Flora of North America species comparison

1, erect, thinly arachnoid and/or puberulent to short-pilose, sometimes ± glabrate;

branches 0–4, ascending.

1–several, erect or ascending to lax and hanging, glabrous or thinly tomentose;

branches 0–few, ascending.

blades oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 20–30 × 3–8 cm, spinulose and otherwise entire or coarsely dentate to deeply pinnatifid, lobes entire or coarsely few toothed or lobed, main spines slender, 3–6 mm, abaxial ± persistently gray-tomentose, sometimes pilose along veins, adaxial faces thinly arachnoid and ± glabrate;

basal often present at flowering, sessile or narrowly winged-petiolate;

principal cauline gradually winged-petiolate or sessile, reduced distally, bases sometimes clasping or short-decurrent;

distal cauline ascending, becoming bractlike, narrow, lobed or not.

blades elliptic, 30–90+ × 10–40 cm, 1–2 times pinnately lobed, lobes linear to ovate, strongly undulate, main spines slender, 5–15 mm, faces often glaucous, glabrous or thinly tomentose and soon glabrescent;

basal present at flowering, petiolate or winged-petiolate;

proximal cauline winged-petiolate;

mid sessile, much reduced, less deeply lobed, bases clasping, short-decurrent 0–2 cm;

distal linear or lanceolate, bractlike, very spiny.

10–30 cm.

0.5–6 cm.

hemispheric, 2–3 × 2–4 cm, thinly arachnoid or glabrous.

hemispheric, 1.4–2 × 1–2 cm, phyllary margins thinly tomentose or glabrate.

deep purple, 22–30 mm, tubes 13–18 mm, throats 4–5 mm, lobes 5–8 mm;

style tips 4–4.5 mm.

dull white to pink or purple, 16–20 mm, tubes 7–8.5 mm, throats 4–6.5 mm, lobes 4.5–6 mm;

style tips 2.5 mm.

in ca. 8 series, imbricate, proximally brownish, distally dark purplish, lanceolate to linear, margins of outer hispidulous-ciliolate, spiny fringed, pinnately spiny or with scarious appendages, abaxial faces with prominent, glutinous ridge;

outer and middle appressed or only apices spreading, bodies minutely spinulose-denticulate, spines erect to ascending, 1.5–2.5 mm;

apices of inner phyllaries often flexuous, flat, scabridulous.

in 5–8 series, strongly imbricate, (green, drying green or light brown), ovate to lance-oblong, abaxial faces with or without poorly developed glutinous ridge;

outer and mid bases appressed, margins entire, not scabridulous-ciliolate, apices spreading or reflexed, green to brownish, lance-ovate, elongate, flattened, spines slender, 3–25 mm;

apices of inner straight, entire.

1–5.

few–many, erect or nodding in clusters at tips of distal branches in paniculiform arrays, not closely subtended by clustered leafy bracts.

tan with dark speckles to dark purplish brown, 4–5.5 mm, apical collars not differently colored;

pappi 13–18 mm.

gray or brown, 3.7–4.5 mm, apical collars not differentiated;

pappi 10–15 mm.

= 32 (Mexico).

= 34.