Flora of North America species comparison

1–few, erect, distal 1/2 nearly naked, loosely arachnoid;

branches 0–5(–10), stiffly ascending.

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

branches few, usually distal, ascending.

blades linear to oblong or narrowly elliptic, 15–25 × 1–4 cm, coarsely toothed to shallowly pinnatifid, lobes undivided or coarsely few-toothed, main spines 3–6 mm, abaxial faces often ± glabrate, loosely arachnoid when young, adaxial glabrous or sparingly villous with coarse, multicellular trichomes;

basal sometimes absent at flowering, petiolate;

principal cauline sessile, progressively reduced distally, bases clasping or ± decurrent;

distal cauline few, widely separated, bractlike.

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.

5–30 cm (elevated above cauline leaves, not subtended by ring of involucre-like bracts).

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

broadly cylindric to campanulate, 2.5–4 × 1.5–4 cm, loosely arachnoid, ± glabrate.

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

pink-purple, 22–45 mm, tubes 10–23 mm, throats 8–14 mm, lobes 7–10 mm;

style tips 4–5 mm.

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 6–10 series, imbricate, ovate or lanceolate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), abaxial faces with prominent glutinous ridge, outer and middle tightly appressed, margins spinulose-serrulate, spines ascending, 0.5–2 mm;

apices of inner flat, linear- acuminate.

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.

borne singly or less commonly 2–5(–10) in open, corymbiform arrays.

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

light brown, 5–5.75 mm, apical collars paler than body, ca. 0.75 mm;

pappi 20–40 mm.

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

pappi 12–14 mm.

= 28, 32.

= 20, 22.