Flora of North America species comparison

1–many, erect or ascending, branches few–many, ascending, villous with septate trichomes.

single, erect, often branched above middle, thinly arachnoid-tomentose, ± glabrate;

branches few, ascending.

blades oblong-lanceolate to obovate, 15–40 × 6–15 cm, margins plane or revolute, coarsely 1–2-pinnatifid with rigidly divergent lobes, sometimes merely spinose-dentate, lobes triangular to lanceolate, entire to spiny-dentate, main spines 2–10 mm, abaxial faces gray-tomentose, villous with septate trichomes along veins, adaxial green, covered with short appressed bristlelike spines, sometimes tomentose when young;

basal present or absent at flowering, petioles winged, bases tapered;

principal cauline winged-petiolate, mid and distal becoming sessile, well distributed or not, progressively reduced distally, at least distal decurrent as long spiny wings;

distal cauline often more deeply lobed than proximal, main lobes rigidly spiny, margins spinulose, otherwise entire.

blades elliptic or ovate, 5–20 × 1–10 cm, usually deeply pinnatifid, lobes narrowly to broadly triangular, sinuses broad, rounded (basal and distal cauline sometimes less divided, lobes linear-lanceolate), margins revolute, spreading, entire or spinulose to remotely few-toothed or sharply lobed, main spines slender, 1–5 mm, abaxial faces white-tomentose, adaxial green, villous with septate trichomes or glabrate;

basal usually absent at flowering, winged-petiolate, bases tapered;

principal cauline well distributed, gradually reduced, bases narrowed, sometimes weakly clasping;

distal reduced, widely separated, distalmost bractlike.

1–6 cm.

2–20+ cm, essentially naked with much reduced bracts.

hemispheric to campanulate, 3–4 × 2–4 cm, loosely arachnoid-tomentose.

ovoid to broadly cylindric or campanulate, 2.5–3.5 × 2–3 cm, thinly arachnoid.

purple (rarely white), 25–35 mm, tubes 18–25 mm, throats 5–6 mm, lobes 5–7 mm;

style tips 3.5–6 mm.

pink to purple (white), 32–38 mm, tubes 15–20 mm, throats 6–9 mm, lobes 8–11 mm;

style tips 5–6 mm.

in 10–12 series, strongly imbricate, linear-lanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), outer and middle appressed, (bases stramineous), margins entire, abaxial faces without glutinous ridge, apices radiating, greenish, spines 2–5 mm;

apices of inner phyllaries flat, serrulate to minutely erose.

in 10–12 series, strongly imbricate, greenish with subapical darker central zone, ovate (outer) to lanceolate (inner), abaxial faces with narrow glutinous ridge;

outer and middle entire, bodies appressed, spines abruptly spreading to deflexed, slender, 2–4 mm;

apices of inner phyllaries narrow, flexuous, flattened, entire or finely erose.

few–many in corymbiform or paniculiform arrays.

1–10+, borne at tips of main stem and branches.

light brown with darker streaks, 3–4.5 mm, apical collar not differentiated;

pappi 20–30 mm.

brown, 5–6 mm, apical collars yellow, ca. 1 mm;

pappi 25–30 mm.

= 68.

= 18 (as C. terrae-nigrae), 20 + 1B.