Flora of North America species comparison

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

1–few, erect, closely gray-tomentose;

branches 0–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 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.

1–6 cm.

0–10 cm.

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

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

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

style tips 3.5–6 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 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 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 in corymbiform or paniculiform arrays.

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

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

pappi 20–30 mm.

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

pappi 15–20 mm.

= 68.

= 28.