Flora of North America species comparison

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

1–several, erect, (hollow), openly branched distally or throughout, thinly arachnoid with fine, non-septate trichomes, glabrate.

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 to broadly oblanceolate, 10–40+ cm, pinnatifid 1/2–2/3 distance to midveins, larger usually with broad sinuses, lobes broad, few lobed or dentate, main spines 2–9 mm, abaxial faces ± gray-tomentose, sometimes ± glabrate, adaxial thinly arachnoid-tomentose, soon glabrescent;

basal present or withered at flowering, winged-petiolate;

principal cauline sessile, progressively reduced distally, bases auriculate-clasping or shortly decurrent;

distal cauline reduced, bractlike, often spinier than proximal.

1–6 cm.

0–10+ cm.

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

ovoid to campanulate, 1.5–2.5 × 1.5–3 cm, thinly arachnoid, 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.

pale rose-purple, 18–23 mm, tubes 8–10 mm, throats 5–6 mm, lobes 5–7 mm;

style tips 3.5–4.5 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, dark green to brownish, lanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), abaxial faces with narrow glutinous ridge;

outer and middle appressed, apices spreading, finely serrulate, spines slender, 1–2 mm;

apices of inner erect, ± flexuous.

few–many in corymbiform or paniculiform arrays.

borne singly or few at branch tips, sometimes subtended by clustered, ± leafy bracts, collectively forming ± open, many-headed paniculiform arrays.

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

pappi 20–30 mm.

dark brown to black, 4–5 mm, collars very narrow, stramineous;

pappi ca. 15 mm.

= 68.

= 32.