Flora of North America species comparison

usually single, erect, thinly appressed-tomentose, ± glabrate in age;

branches 0–few in distal 1/3, ascending.

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

branches 0–few, distal, ascending.

very numerous, firm-textured, blades 3–15 cm, thick, ± rigid, linear or linear-elliptic, 0.5–2 cm wide and spinulose, or narrowly ovate, 2–4 cm wide, deeply lobed, lobes remote, spreading, separated by broad sinuses, few toothed or lobed, margins often revolute, main spines slender, 3–5(–9) mm, abaxial faces white-tomentose, adaxial green, glabrous or thinly tomentose;

basal usually absent at flowering, winged-petiolate;

proximal cauline usually absent at flowering, well separated, winged-petiolate;

middle and distal numerous (30–70+), sessile, well distributed, gradually reduced distally, bases tapered, not decurrent;

distal linear, entire or few lobed, ca. 1 cm.

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.

10–15 cm (not overtopped by distal leaves).

0–1 cm.

ovoid to cylindric or narrowly campanulate, 1.7–2.4 × 1–2 cm, glabrous or outer phyllaries very thinly tomentose.

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

purple, 21–26 mm, tubes 8.5–11 mm, throats 6–8 mm (noticeably wider than tubes), lobes 4–8 mm;

style tips 3.5–5 mm.

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.

in 8–13 series, strongly imbricate, light green to brownish with dark apices, ovate (outer) to narrowly linear-elliptic (inner), abaxial faces with evident, narrow glutinous ridge;

outer and middle appressed, bodies entire, apices erect or spreading, muticous to short-spinose, spines ascending to spreading, weak, 1–2 mm;

apices of inner all straight and entire or innermost ± flexuous, erose.

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.

1–10+ in open, corymbiform or paniculiform arrays.

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

dark brown, 4–5 mm, apical collars yellowish, 0.5–1;

pappi 17–20 mm.

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

pappi 20–25 mm.

= 28.