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.

1–20+, erect or ascending, densely gray-tomentose with non-septate trichomes;

branches 0 or few, usually in distal 1/2, 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 to narrowly elliptic, 10–30 × 2–8 cm, strongly undulate, margins coarsely dentate or shallowly to deeply pinnatifid with 8–15 pairs of lobes 0.5–2 cm, often revolute, lobes ± triangular, closely spaced, spreading, spinose-dentate and cleft into 2–5 spine-tipped divisions, main spines 5–20 mm, yellowish, abaxial faces densely white-tomentose, adaxial thinly gray-tomentose;

basal usually present at flowering, winged-petiolate;

principal cauline sessile, progressively reduced distally, bases ± auriculate to long-decurrent as spiny wings;

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 broadly campanulate, 2.5–4.5 × 2.5–4.5 cm in first-formed heads, often smaller in later ones, 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.

white or pale lavender to purple, pink, or red, 25–45 mm, tubes 8–25 mm, throats 6–17 mm, lobes 6–15 mm;

style tips 2–8 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 5–10 series, imbricate, ovate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), margins entire, abaxial faces with narrow glutinous ridge;

outer and middle appressed, spines spreading, 3–12 mm;

apices of inner often flexuous, expanded and flat, scabrid-margined, sometimes erose, spineless.

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–few, in leafy, ± corymbiform arrays.

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

pappi 13–23 mm.

light brown, sometimes with lighter or darker streaks, 6–9 mm, apical collars colored like the body, narrow;

pappi (white or tawny), 20–40 mm, usually noticeably shorter than corolla.

= 32.

= 30, 31, 32, 34.