Flora of North America species comparison

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

1–5+, erect, simple, ± flexuous distally (± ridged from decurrent leaf bases), glabrate proximally, sparsely villous distally.

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 (grayish green abaxially), bases often oblique, margins serrate, veins prominent, abaxial faces scabrous, adaxial hirsute;

basal and proximal cauline withering by flowering (rosettes produced in late season, absent in spring), short-petiolate, petioles winged, sheathing, blades ovate-lanceolate, 40–130 × 20–90 mm, bases rounded to subcordate, apices obtuse to acute;

mid short-petiolate, narrowly winged, wings revolute, bases dilated, sheathing, ciliate, blades ovate to lance-ovate, 100–120(–150) × (30–)60–80 mm, gradually reduced distally, bases shallowly cordate or truncate to rounded, margins sharply serrate, teeth mucronate, apices acuminate;

distal (arrays) subpetiolate or sessile, ovate, 8–70 × 4–23 mm, bases sheathing or clasping.

± densely villous;

bracts 0–2, sometimes subtending heads.

0.5–3(–5) cm, villous;

bracts 0–3.

campanulate, 5.5–9 mm, shorter than pappi.

campanulate, 6–8(–10) mm, much shorter than pappi.

13–30;

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

(12–)15–20;

corollas white, sometimes becoming pink or lavender, 12–18 × 1–2.5 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.

25–35+;

corollas cream or light yellow becoming purple, 6–7(–8) mm, slightly ampliate, tubes cylindric, lengths about twice funnelform throats, lobes erect, lanceolate, 0.8–1.2 mm (glabrous).

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.

ca. 40 in 5 series, oblong (outer) to linear-lanceolate (inner), strongly unequal, membranous, bases indurate and low-keeled or rounded abaxially, green zones in distal 1/4–1/3, obovate, poorly defined, margins hyaline, scarious, villoso-ciliate, inner often purplish, apices appressed, obtuse to rounded, faces villous, eglandular.

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

4–32+ in 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.

brown, fusiform, (2.5–)3–3.5(–4) mm, ribs 8–10(–12), crowded, stramineous to tan, faces ± strigillose;

pappi of tawny (apically sometimes clavellate) bristles 6–7 mm, equaling or slightly shorter than disc corollas.

= 18.

= 18.