Flora of North America species comparison

usually 1, erect, finely arachnoid-tomentose, sometimes villous with septate trichomes below nodes;

branches 0–10+, slender, usually arising in distal 1/2, ascending.

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

branches few, above middle, ascending.

blades linear-oblong to oblanceolate or elliptic, 7–30 × 1–15 cm, unlobed and spinulose to dentate or shallowly to deeply pinnatifid, lobes well separated, linear to triangular-ovate, dentate to deeply lobed, main spines 2–5 mm, slender, abaxial faces green to gray, thinly to densely arachnoid-tomentose, sometimes glabrate, sometimes villous with septate trichomes along veins, adaxial green, glabrous;

basal sometimes present at flowering, sessile or winged-petiolate;

principal cauline mostly in proximal 1/2, winged-petiolate or sessile, bases narrowed, sometimes auriculate;

distal well separated, progressively reduced, becoming bractlike, often unlobed or less deeply divided than the proximal, sometimes spinier than proximal, bases often distally expanded and auriculate-clasping.

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.

(0–)2–15 cm.

0–4 cm.

ovoid to hemispheric or campanulate, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–3.5 cm, glabrous to arachnoid-floccose.

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

creamy white to purple, 18–28 mm, tubes 7–12 mm, throats 5–12 mm, lobes 3.5–7 mm, style tips 4–6 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 6–8 series, subequal to strongly imbricate, green, linear to obovate (outer) to linear (inner), abaxial faces with inconspicuous glutinous ridge;

outer and middle bases appressed, margins entire to spinulose-dentate or broad, scarious, lacerate-dentate, spines absent or ascending to spreading, 1–2 mm;

apices of inner sometimes flexuous or reflexed, narrow, flat, entire or expanded, scarious, and lacerate-dentate.

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.

few–many, borne singly or in openly branched in corymbiform, racemiform, or paniculiform arrays on main stem and branches, sometimes also in distal axils, not closely subtended by clustered leaf bracts.

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

tan to dark brown, 4.5–5.5 mm, apical collars differentiated or not;

pappi 13–23 mm.

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

pappi 15–23 mm.

= 32.