Flora of North America species comparison

2-80 cm, tuberlike or fibrous, dry or fleshy;

buds often less than 3 mm.

(10-)20-50(-80) cm;

base reddish or not, not longitudinally ridged, long-pubescent.

1-8(-19) per root;

base firmly attached to root or not.

blade round to pentagonal, 1-4.5 × 2-6 cm, pubescent; ultimate lobes 3-15, width 3-8 mm (basal), 2-5 mm (cauline).

cauline and/or in basal rosette, gradually or abruptly reduced into bracts.

(4-)6-17(-20)-flowered, open;

pedicel 0.5-3(-7) cm, usually puberulent;

bracteoles 2-7(-23) mm from flowers, green, linear-lanceolate, 3-8 mm, puberulent.

sepals usually deep royal blue, sometimes bright blue to light blue or white, ± finely pubescent, lateral sepals spreading, 10-18(-25) × 6-10 mm, spurs straight, ascending ca. 30° above horizontal, 10-19 mm;

lower petal blades slightly elevated, ± exposing stamens, 4-11 mm, clefts 0.5-3.5 mm;

hairs sparse, more on inner lobes than outer lobe or centered, scattered on margins, white or yellow.

sepals blue, purple, white, red, or yellow;

lower petal blades often same color as lateral sepals, usually greater than 1/5 length of lateral sepals (exceptions in red- and yellow-flowered species).

9-19 mm, 2.2-3.8 times longer than wide, ± puberulent.

not echinate, appearing ± smooth to naked eye;

seed coat cells with margins ± undulate, surfaces roughened.