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, closely gray-tomentose;

branches 0–few, 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 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–)2–15 cm.

0–10 cm.

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

hemispheric to subcylindric, 1.5–2.2 × 1.5–2.5 cm, thinly floccose-tomentose 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 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 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, 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.

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.

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

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

pappi 13–23 mm.

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

pappi 15–20 mm.

= 32.

= 28.