Flora of North America species comparison

1, erect, straight, often reddish, simple, glabrous or glabrescent to sparsely villous proximally, villous distally.

1–5+, erect to ascending, simple, strict, slender, stiff, proximally glabrous or glabrate, distally hirtello-puberulent.

cauline, rugose-veined, margins ± revolute, ± remotely, ± deeply serrate, scabrous, teeth ± indurate (mucronate), apices mucronulate, abaxial faces scabrous, adaxial ± villous, particularly on veins (increasingly so distally);

proximalmost withering by flowering, winged-petiolate, petioles equaling or longer than blades, bases ± sheathing, sometimes marcescent, blades spatulate to oblanceolate, 10–42 × 3–8 mm, sometimes reduced, smaller than mid, bases attenuate to cuneate, apices obtuse to acute;

mid sessile, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or narrowly obovate to narrowly elliptic or elliptic, (23–)30–115 × 5–36 mm, gradually reduced distally, bases tapering or rounded to ± auriculate-clasping (often narrowed above base), apices acute to acuminate;

distal (arrays) sessile, (6–)10–40 × 2–7 mm.

basal and cauline, firm, blades (1-nerved) linear to lance-linear or oblong-linear (grasslike), 25–140+ × 2–5 mm, ± coriaceous, bases sheathing, margins entire to remotely serrulate-spinose, indurate, remotely scabrous, spines thickened, apices acute, revolute, faces glabrous;

basal and proximal cauline often withering by flowering, bases marcescent, ± long-petiolate;

mid and distal progressively sessile and reduced.

± densely villous;

bracts 0–2, sometimes subtending heads.

densely hirtellous;

bracts 1–2, usually immediately subtending heads.

campanulate, 5.5–9 mm, shorter than pappi.

cylindro-campanulate, 7–9 mm, shorter than pappi.

13–30;

corollas pale blue-violet, 10.5–15 × 1.4–2 mm.

8–20;

corollas bluish white to lavender or deep violet, 5–10 × 1–1.7 mm.

37–72;

corollas yellow, 4.5–6 mm, slightly ampliate, 4.8–5.8 mm, tube lengths about twice funnelform throats (2.7–3.4 mm), lobes erect, lanceolate, 0.6–1 mm.

15–45;

corollas yellow, 5.5–7 mm, barely ampliate, tubes shorter than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes erect, triangular, 0.6–0.7 mm.

30–50 in 4–5 series, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, seldom ovate (outer), lanceolate to linear-lanceolate (inner), strongly unequal, membranous, bases indurate, rounded (outer), green zones full-width, occasionally purplish (inner), in distal 1/2 (outer; rarely 2/3 and foliaceous) to less than 1/6 and paler or none (inner), margins hyaline (seldom purplish), narrowly scarious, ± erose, densely ciliate, apices usually appressed, often squarrose, usually acute, sometimes obtuse, mucronulate, faces glabrous or sparsely strigillose.

30–55+ in 4–5 series, unequal, chartaceous, bases indurate, margins narrowly hyaline, scabrous, erose, fimbriate, apices appressed or reflexed, acute, sometimes acuminate (some outer), mucronate, marginally thickened, faces glabrous;

outer lance-oblong, rounded, apical zones dark green, flat;

inner linear-oblong, apical zones pale green, restricted to broadly acute tips.

1–25+ in open corymbiform arrays or borne singly.

3–15+ in narrow, flat-topped corymbiform arrays.

tawny to stramineous, fusiform to cylindro-obconic, slightly compressed, 2.7–3.5 mm, ribs 8–18 (stramineous or reddish brown), ± crowded, faces glabrous;

pappi of pale cinnamon bristles 4.5–5.2 mm, shorter than disc corollas.

tan, fusiform, ± compressed, ca. 5 mm, ribs 7–10(–12) (stramineous, broad), strigillose;

pappi of cinnamon to sordid bristles 5.5–6 mm, equaling disc corollas.

= 18.

= 18.