Flora of North America species comparison

stout, erect, loosely arachnoid with fine trichomes and villous with jointed trichomes; branching unknown.

1–several, erect, thinly gray-tomentose with fine, non-septate trichomes;

branches 0–many, ascending.

blades elliptic to oblanceolate, 15–30+ × 6–8+ cm, divided halfway or more to midveins, lobes linear-lanceolate, rigidly spreading, entire or trifid, acuminate, main spines stout, 5–15 mm, abaxial faces tomentose with fine, non-septate trichomes, villous along major veins with septate trichomes, adaxial glabrescent or sparsely tomentose, villous along veins;

basal not observed;

cauline well distributed, distally not much reduced, sessile, bases clasping, not decurrent.

oblanceolate or elliptic, 15–45 × 2–10 cm, unlobed and merely spinulose to dentate or deeply pinnatifid, lobes well separated, linear to triangular-ovate, merely spinulose to few toothed or lobed near base, margins often revolute, main spines 2–3(–6) mm, abaxial faces densely gray-tomentose, adaxial green, thinly tomentose or ± glabrate;

basal often present at flowering, narrowly winged-petiolate;

principal cauline well distributed, gradually reduced distally, bases of proximal cauline winged-petiolate or sessile, bases of distal cauline expanded and ± clasping, margins sometimes spinier than those of proximal;

distalmost cauline becoming bractlike, often unlobed or less deeply divided than proximal.

0–1 cm.

1–8 cm.

hemispheric to broadly campanulate, 3–4 × 4–5+ cm, arachnoid.

hemispheric to campanulate, 2.5–3.5 × 2–4 cm, glabrous or loosely floccose.

white, 30–33 mm, tubes 16 mm, throats 9–12 mm, lobes 5.5–9 mm;

style tips 6 mm.

creamy white, rarely lavender-tinged, 22–28 mm, tubes 8–13 mm, throats 7–11 mm, lobes 4–6 mm;

style tips 5–6 mm.

in 6–8 series, narrowly lanceolate to linear, outer subequal, rigidly spreading, spines 5–10 mm, inner ± imbricate, bodies appressed, glutinous ridge absent, apices spreading, margins spinulose or scabrid, apices of mid and inner flattened, spineless, scabrid.

in 6–10 series, strongly imbricate, greenish to brown, ovate to lanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), abaxial faces with prominent glutinous ridge;

outer and middle appressed, bodies entire, spines abruptly spreading, fine, 2–3(–5) mm;

apices of inner commonly flexuous or reflexed, flat, scarious.

1–5, terminal and in distal axils in spiciform arrays.

borne singly and terminal on main stems and branches or few from distal axils in corymbiform or paniculiform arrays.

light brown, 6 mm, collars also light brown, ca. 0.75 mm;

pappi 25–33 mm.

brown, 5–6 mm, apical collars yellowish, 0.5–1 mm;

pappi 18–22 mm.

= 22, 26.