Flora of North America species comparison

1–8+, erect, simple, strict, glabrescent, usually ± densely villous distally.

1, erect, strict (slightly flexuous distally), simple, glabrous, distally ± villosulous (arrays).

basal and cauline, thick, firm (only midnerves conspicuous), margins entire or nearly so, indurate, scabrous, apices indurate, mucronate, faces scabrous (especially distal) to sometimes glabrous, adaxial sometimes villous (especially proximal) at least along midnerves;

basal often withering by flowering (bases sometimes marcescent), petioles erect, longer than blades, bases sheathing, winged, ciliate, blades narrowly elliptic to ovate or obovate, 20–70 × 8–20 mm, bases cuneate, margins sometimes crenulate-serrulate, teeth mucronate, apices obtuse to rounded;

cauline usually sessile, sometimes subsessile (ascending), lanceolate to oblanceolate, 15–80(–90) × 2.5–12 mm, bases sheathing to auriculate-clasping (distal), apices acute.

cauline;

proximal withering by flowering, narrowly winged-petiolate, blades broadly oblanceolate or elliptic to obovate, smaller than mid;

mid and distal winged-petiolate (5–30 mm), broadly elliptic to oblanceolate, (70–)90–140 × 40–50(–60) mm, reduced distally, bases cuneate, with 4–5 pairs of marked veins, margins coarsely serrate (teeth 1–4 mm), slightly revolute, scabrous, apices acuminate;

abaxial faces glabrescent, adaxial sparsely pilose, mainly on veins.

slender, villous;

bracts 1–2, often 1 near heads, leaflike (bases sometimes indurate and white as in phyllaries).

sparsely pilose;

bracts 0–1, foliaceous, remotely serrulate.

cylindro-campanulate, 6.5–9 mm, slightly shorter than pappi.

campanulate, 7–11 mm, shorter than pappi.

(5–)8–14;

corollas blue-violet to rose-purple or bluish, often pale, 5–8(–10) × 1–1.8 mm.

10–30;

corollas pale white to pale blue, 10–15 × 1.5–2 mm.

10–20;

corollas pale yellow, 5.5–6.2 mm, not ampliate, tubes longer than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes triangular, 0.65–0.9 mm.

10–20;

corollas yellow turning pinkish, ca. 4.5–5 mm, tubes longer than funnelform throats, lobes spreading, triangular, ca. 1.5 mm.

24–35 in 4–5 series, oblong (outer) to lanceolate (inner), unequal, coriaceous (outer) to membranous (inner), bases indurate, rounded (outer), margins hyaline, narrowly scarious, ± erose, ciliate (outer), apices reflexed, green (except innermost), purple-margined, less scarious, rounded or obtuse (outer) to acuminate (inner), mucronate, abaxial faces glabrous or obscurely puberulent, eglandular.

32–36 in 4–5 series, broadly oblong, strongly unequal, scarious, dark green zones wide, from 1/2 distally, margins hyaline, narrow, erose, densely ciliate, apices appressed or often slightly squarrose, obtuse to subacute, faces glabrous, eglandular.

3–55+ in flat-topped, corymbiform arrays, branches ascending, slender.

1–10, borne singly or in corymbiform arrays.

stramineous, cylindro-obconic, 1.75–2.6 mm, ribs 9–12 (crowded), faces glabrate to strigillose;

pappi of tawny to cinnamon bristles 5.9–6.2 mm, equaling disc corollas.

tan, fusiform, cylindric, 5–6 mm, ribs 7–11, stramineous, faces ± strigose;

pappi of pale stramineous (clavate) bristles 5–7 mm, shorter than to ± equaling disc corollas.

= 18.

= 54.