Flora of North America species comparison

usually 1 and erect, less commonly several and ascending, simple to sparingly short-branched in distal 1/2, variably villous with jointed trichomes, and/or finely arachnoid, or ± glabrate;

branches on distal stems 0–many, short, ascending.

erect, stout, fleshy, leafy, simple or distally branched, villous or tomentose with long, septate trichomes;

branches usually short, stout, ascending.

blades linear-oblong to elliptic, 5–25 × 1–8 cm, subentire to coarsely dentate or deeply pinnatifid, lobes lance-oblong to broadly triangular, spinulose to spiny-dentate or shallowly lobed, main spines 2–10 mm, abaxial faces usually ± densely gray- or white-tomentose with felted arachnoid trichomes, ± villous to tomentose along major veins with septate trichomes, sometimes glabrous or glabrate, adaxial ± green, glabrous to thinly arachnoid, often ± villous or tomentose with septate trichomes;

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

principal cauline well distributed, proximally winged-petiolate, distally sessile, gradually reduced, bases sometimes short-decurrent;

distal ± reduced, often narrower than proximal, sometimes with non-pigmented bases, sometimes pectinately spiny.

blades oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, 15–30+ × 3–7 cm, usually shallowly to deeply pinnatifid, lobes ovate to broadly triangular, spreading, usually separated by broad U-shaped sinuses, spinose-dentate or coarsely lobed, main spines 2–5(–8) mm, slender, abaxial faces villous with septate trichomes, at least along veins, sometimes thinly arachnoid, adaxial villous with septate trichomes;

basal often present at flowering, spiny winged-petiolate;

principal cauline winged-petiolate or sessile, not much reduced distally;

distal reduced, similar to proximal, crowded around heads.

0–8+ cm.

0–5(–10) cm, leafy-bracted.

(green or often purplish), broadly ovoid, 2–3.3 × 1.5–4 cm, loosely to densely villous with septate trichomes to tomentose and/or arachnoid.

broadly ovoid to hemispheric, 3.5–5 × 3.5–5 cm (appearing much wider and ± campanulate in pressed specimens), loosely arachnoid on phyllary margins or glabrate.

white, ochroleucous, or occasionally pink, 20–28 mm, tubes 10–13 mm, throats 6.5–9 mm, lobes 5–7 mm;

style tips 3–5.5 mm.

purple (white), 30–48 mm, tubes 17–30 mm, throats 6.5–11 mm, lobes 5–7 mm;

style tips 5–7 mm.

in 4–8 series, imbricate to subequal, bases short-appressed, entire, abaxial faces with or without narrow glutinous ridge, apices stiffly spreading to ascending, linear, long, plane, spines straight, slender, 3–5 mm;

apices of inner flexuous, sometimes expanded and erose.

in 4–6 series, strongly imbricate, ovate or broadly lanceolate (outer) to lance-linear (inner), abaxial faces with ± narrow glutinous ridge;

outer and mid appressed, spines erect to ascending, 2–3 mm;

apices of mid and inner narrowed and scabrid-denticulate, innermost spineless, with expanded, flexuous, erose-denticulate tips.

1–many, borne singly or crowded in spiciform, racemiform, subcapitate, or sometimes more openly branched corymbiform arrays.

1–5(–9), borne singly or crowded in corymbiform arrays at tips of main stems, often closely subtended and overtopped by 1–several distal leaves.

dark brown, 5–6.5 mm, apical collars not differentiated;

pappi 18–22 mm.

stramineous to light brown, 3.5–5.5 mm, apical collar yellow, narrow;

pappi 30–42 mm.

= 34.