Flora of North America species comparison

1–10+, erect or ascending, glabrous to thinly gray-tomentose, sometimes villous with septate trichomes;

branches 0 or few, ascending.

usually 1, erect, less commonly several, ascending, simple to sparingly short-branched in distal 1/2, less commonly openly branched, villous with jointed trichomes;

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

blades elliptic to obovate, 5–20 × 3–7 cm, strongly undulate, shallowly to deeply pinnatifid with 3–8 pairs of lobes, lobes linear-lanceolate to broadly triangular, (often longer than 2 cm), closely spaced, spreading, spinose-dentate or lobed, main spines slender to stout, 2–15 mm, abaxial faces thinly to densely tomentose, ± villous with septate trichomes along veins, glabrescent or trichomes persistent, adaxial thinly arachnoid-tomentose and soon glabrescent;

basal usually present at flowering, petiolate;

principal cauline petiolate, progressively reduced distally, bases sometimes decurrent as spiny wings to 1 cm;

distal reduced, similar to proximal.

blades linear to oblong or elliptic, 10–30+ × 1–10 cm, margins flat to undulate, subentire to coarsely dentate or shallowly to deeply pinnatifid, lobes lance-oblong to broadly triangular, spinulose to spiny-dentate or shallowly lobed, main spines 3–12 mm, abaxial faces green and subglabrous to gray- or white-tomentose with felted arachnoid trichomes, ± villous to tomentose along major veins with septate trichomes, rarely glabrous or glabrate, adaxial ± green, glabrous or villous 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 (0–2 cm);

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

0–10 cm, leafy-bracted.

0–15+ cm.

ovoid to hemispheric or broadly campanulate, 2.5–5 (in first-formed heads, often smaller in later heads) × 2.5–6 cm, loosely arachnoid on phyllary margins or glabrate.

(green), broadly ovoid, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–2.5 cm, loosely villous with septate trichomes, sparingly if at all arachnoid.

white or pale lavender to purple, 25–35 mm, tubes 10–20 mm, throats 7–10 mm, lobes 5–8 mm;

style tips 2.5–4.5 mm.

white, ochroleucous, 19–23 mm, tubes 6.5–8.5 mm, throats 7.5–11 mm, lobes 4–5 mm;

style tips 4–5.5 mm, conspicuously exserted.

in 5–10 series, imbricate, ovate or lanceolate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), margins of outer entire, abaxial faces without glutinous ridge;

outer and mid appressed, spines erect or ascending, (0–)1–2(–10) mm;

apices of mid and inner narrowed and scabrido-denticulate or with expanded, spinuloso-serrate or -dentate tips, spineless or spine-tipped.

in 4–8 series, subequal, ± lanceolate, bases appressed, apices ascending, linear to broadly expanded, erose to lacerate or spiny-fringed, spines straight, slender, 2–3 mm, abaxial faces with or without narrow glutinous ridge;

apices of inner flexuous, sometimes expanded and erose.

1–few, erect, ± crowded, often closely subtended by distalmost leaves.

several–many, erect, usually in racemiform or spiciform arrays, usually closely subtended by clustered ± leafy bracts.

brown, 5–6.5 mm, apical collars colored like body;

pappi 20–40 mm.

brown, 5.5–6.5 mm, apical collars not differentiated;

pappi 17–20 mm.

= 32.

= 34.