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.

1–many, erect or ascending, branches few–many, ascending, villous with septate trichomes.

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 oblong-lanceolate to obovate, 15–40 × 6–15 cm, margins plane or revolute, coarsely 1–2-pinnatifid with rigidly divergent lobes, sometimes merely spinose-dentate, lobes triangular to lanceolate, entire to spiny-dentate, main spines 2–10 mm, abaxial faces gray-tomentose, villous with septate trichomes along veins, adaxial green, covered with short appressed bristlelike spines, sometimes tomentose when young;

basal present or absent at flowering, petioles winged, bases tapered;

principal cauline winged-petiolate, mid and distal becoming sessile, well distributed or not, progressively reduced distally, at least distal decurrent as long spiny wings;

distal cauline often more deeply lobed than proximal, main lobes rigidly spiny, margins spinulose, otherwise entire.

0–10 cm, leafy-bracted.

1–6 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.

hemispheric to campanulate, 3–4 × 2–4 cm, loosely arachnoid-tomentose.

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.

purple (rarely white), 25–35 mm, tubes 18–25 mm, throats 5–6 mm, lobes 5–7 mm;

style tips 3.5–6 mm.

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 10–12 series, strongly imbricate, linear-lanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), outer and middle appressed, (bases stramineous), margins entire, abaxial faces without glutinous ridge, apices radiating, greenish, spines 2–5 mm;

apices of inner phyllaries flat, serrulate to minutely erose.

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

few–many in corymbiform or paniculiform arrays.

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

pappi 20–40 mm.

light brown with darker streaks, 3–4.5 mm, apical collar not differentiated;

pappi 20–30 mm.

= 32.

= 68.