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–few, erect, closely gray-tomentose;

branches 0–few, 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 lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 10–25 × 1–4 cm, unlobed and merely spinulose or pinnately lobed about halfway to midveins, often terminal lobes long-tapered, lobes short, lanceolate to triangular, entire to few toothed or lobed, well separated by wide, U-shaped sinuses, main spines slender, 2–5 mm, abaxial faces gray-tomentose, adaxial green, glabrous to thinly tomentose;

basal usually present at flowering, winged-petiolate;

principal cauline winged-petiolate proximally, mid and distal sessile, progressively reduced distally, bases not or scarcely decurrent, sometimes distal weakly clasping;

distalmost often reduced to lanceolate or linear, long-acuminate bracts.

0–10 cm, leafy-bracted.

0–10 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 subcylindric, 1.5–2.2 × 1.5–2.5 cm, thinly floccose-tomentose or glabrate.

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 or pink to pale purple, 20–28 mm, tubes 9–14 mm, throats 5–7.5 mm, lobes 5–10 mm;

style tips 2.5–6 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 6–9 series, imbricate, pale green with darker apices, brownish when dry, lanceolate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), margins of outer entire, abaxial faces with narrow glutinous ridge;

outer and middle appressed proximally, apices spreading to ascending, bodies entire or rarely spinulose, spines slender, 3–7 mm;

apices of inner often dark purple or blackish, flexuous, scarious, entire to pectinate-fringed, tapered or expanded.

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

1–6, borne singly or few at branch tips in corymbiform arrays.

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

pappi 20–40 mm.

stramineous with brownish streaks, 6.5–7 mm, apical collars colored like body, narrow;

pappi 15–20 mm.

= 32.

= 28.