Flora of North America species comparison

erect, (8–)10–25 cm, glabrous or stipitate-glandular.

erect, 1–15(–20) cm, scabrid-puberulent.

basal leaves persistent;

cauline leaves usually in 2–4 pairs, reduced distally;

basal blades spreading to recurved, needlelike, 1–3(–3.5) cm × 0.5–0.7 mm, flexuous to rigid, herbaceous, apex spinose, glabrous to puberulent, not glaucous.

basal leaves persistent;

cauline leaves in 1–4 pairs, usually little overlapping, often larger than basal leaves;

basal blades straight to arcuate-spreading, subulate to needlelike, 0.3–4 cm × 0.5–1.5 mm, flexible or rigid, herbaceous, apex spinose, glabrous, often glaucous.

(1–)3–17-flowered, ± open cymes.

3–30+-flowered, congested, capitate or subcapitate cymes.

3–30 mm, glabrous or stipitate-glandular.

0.2–2 mm, scabrid-puberulent.

sepals green or purplish, 1–3-veined, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, (3.5–)4–6.5 mm, not enlarging in fruit, margins broad, apex narrowly acute to acuminate, glabrous or stipitate-glandular;

petals yellowish white or sometimes brownish to reddish pink, broadly oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, 4–6.5 mm, 0.9–1.1 times as long as sepals, apex rounded;

nectaries narrowly longitudinally rectangular, apically cleft or emarginate, adjacent to filaments opposite sepals, 1–2 mm.

sepals 1–3-veined, often obscurely so, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, (5–)6–10 mm, not enlarging in fruit, margins narrow, apex narrowly acute or acuminate, glabrous or pubescent;

petals white, oblanceolate, 4.5–8.5 mm, ± equaling sepals, apex rounded to obtuse;

nectaries as lateral and abaxial mounds with transverse groove at base of filaments opposite sepals, 0.2–0.3 mm.

4–6 mm, glabrous.

to 4 mm, glabrous.

brown, ovoid to suborbicular with hilar notch, 1.2–1.7 mm, papillate, subechinate;

tubercles conical.

black, ellipsoid-oblong to pyriform with hilar notch, 1.8–2 mm, tuberculate;

tubercles rounded, elongate.