Flora of North America species comparison

5–30+, horizontal or hanging from cliff sides, thinly appressed gray-tomentose and villous with septate trichomes;

branches 0–few, distal, ascending.

single, erect, villous to tomentose with jointed trichomes, distally tomentose with fine, unbranched trichomes;

branches 0–few, ascending, (short).

blades oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, 5–30 × 1–5 cm, shallowly to deeply pinnatifid, lobes spreading, triangular, coarsely dentate or lobed, obtuse to acute, main spines slender, 4–10 mm, abaxial faces green or gray-tomentose, villous with septate trichomes along midveins, ± glabrate, adaxial green and glabrous or thinly tomentose, ± glabrate;

basal often present at flowering, spiny winged-petiolate;

principal cauline sessile, gradually reduced distally;

distal oblong, bases ± clasping, usually less deeply lobed and often spinier than proximal.

blades narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, 15–30+ × 3–10 cm, margins shallowly to very deeply pinnatifid, narrow lobes separated by broad sinuses, spiny-dentate to lobed, main spines 2–6 mm, abaxial villous to tomentose with jointed trichomes, sometimes also thinly tomentose with fine unbranched trichomes, adaxial faces villous with septate trichomes or glabrate;

basal often present at flowering, petioles spiny-winged, bases tapered;

cauline many, sessile, gradually reduced and becoming widely spaced above, bases long-decurrent with prominently spiny wings;

distal cauline deeply pinnatifid with few-toothed spine-tipped lobes.

0–1 cm.

0–1 cm.

cylindric to narrowly campanulate, 3.5–4.5 × 1.5–2 cm, loosely arachnoid, glabrate, finely short-ciliate.

ovoid to campanulate, 1–1.5 × 0.8–1.3 cm, thinly cobwebby tomentose with fine unbranched trichomes.

red to reddish purple, 26–27 mm, tubes 3.5–5 mm, throats 7.5–9.5 mm, lobes 12–14 mm;

style tips ca. 3 mm.

lavender to purple (white), 11–13 mm, tubes 5–7 mm, throats 2–3 mm, lobes 3–4.5 mm;

style tips 1.5–2 mm.

in 5–6 series, imbricate, linear-lanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), entire, abaxial faces without glutinous ridge, apices red to reddish purple, stiffly ascending, long-acuminate, spines straight, 1–10 mm, ± flattened;

apices of inner stramineous to red, straight or flexuous.

in 5–7 series, strongly imbricate, greenish, or with purplish tinge, lanceolate to ovate (outer) or linear-lanceolate (inner), margins thinly arachnoid-ciliate, abaxial faces with narrow glutinous ridge, outer and middle appressed, entire, apices acute, mucronate or spines erect or spreading, weak, 0.3–1 mm;

apices of inner phyllaries purplish, linear-attenuate, scarious, flat.

1–6+, borne singly or in condensed corymbiform arrays.

few–many in dense clusters at branch tips.

stramineous, 5–6 mm, apical collars not differentiated;

pappi 20–25 mm.

tan to stramineous, 2.5–3.5 mm, apical collars 0.1–0.2 mm, shiny;

pappi 9–11 mm.

= 34.