Flora of North America species comparison

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.

1–few, erect, gray-tomentose or glabrate;

branches few, above middle, ascending.

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.

blades oblong-elliptic, 10–35 × 2–7 cm, strongly undulate, margins shallowly to deeply lobed, lobes 8–15 pairs, linear-lanceolate to broadly triangular, closely spaced, spreading, coarsely spinose-dentate or cleft into 2–5 spine-tipped divisions, main spines 3–5 mm, faces densely gray-white-tomentose;

basal usually present at flowering, winged-petiolate;

principal cauline becoming sessile and progressively reduced distally, bases decurrent as spiny wings to 5 cm;

distal cauline usually much reduced, less lobed.

1–30 cm.

0–4 cm.

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.

ovoid to hemispheric or campanulate, 1.7–2 × 1.5–2 cm, loosely arachnoid on phyllary margins or glabrate.

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.

lavender to pink-purple, 18–28 mm, tubes 7–9 mm, throats 4–8 mm, lobes 5–11 mm;

style tips 3.5–5 mm.

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.

in 6–9 series, imbricate, ovate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), entire, abaxial faces with narrow glutinous ridge;

outer and middle appressed, spines ascending to spreading, stramineous, 2–7 mm;

apices of inner often flexuous, narrow, flat, entire, spineless, glabrous.

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

1–20+, borne singly or clustered at branch tips, in leafy, ± corymbiform arrays.

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

pappi 15–30 mm.

tan to brown, 5–5.5 mm, apical collars colored like body, narrow;

pappi 15–23 mm.