Flora of North America species comparison

erect to decumbent or procumbent, loosely arachnose-tomentose.

erect to decumbent-ascending, not pannose (indument whitish, like closely appressed, polished cloth, hairs usually not individually evident).

basal and cauline, proximal usually present at flowering, blades spatulate to oblanceolate-obovate, 2–7 cm × 4–16 mm (becoming spatulate to oblanceolate bracts among proximal heads, surpassing glomerules, bases narrowed to petiolar regions, margins sinuate, apices often apiculate), faces concolor or weakly bicolor, loosely tomentose.

basal and cauline, basal present through flowering, blades oblanceolate to oblanceolate-spatulate, 2–6(–7) cm × 5–13 mm (gradually smaller, becoming linear bracts distally), faces bicolor, abaxial closely white-pannose, adaxial sparsely arachnose (light green, hairs persistent, closely appressed, nearly microscopic).

cupulate-campanulate, 3–3.5 mm, bases sparsely arachnose.

cylindro-campanulate, 3.5–4 mm, bases sparsely arachnose.

bisexual 3–4; all (or at least bisexual) corollas usually purplish distally.

bisexual 2–4; all corollas brownish yellow to purple distally (sometimes purple only on adaxial faces of lobes in bisexual corollas).

in 3–4 series, outer ovate-triangular, lengths 1/2–2/3 inner, apices attenuate-apiculate, inner oblong, laminae often purple-tinged (at stereome), apices (transparent, sometimes golden) acute to obtuse.

in 4–5 series, outer ovate, lengths 1/3 inner, apices acute to acute-acuminate, inner oblong-lanceolate, laminae (± striate) purplish (at stereome and on distal margins or not at all), apices acute to acute-acuminate (not apiculate, slightly flaring outward in fruit).

in glomerules in continuous or interrupted, spiciform arrays 1–12 cm × 10–15 mm (pressed).

initially in ± continuous, cylindric arrays 3–5(–7) cm × 10–12 mm (pressed), later sometimes interrupted and 7–20 cm (producing axillary glomerules from proximal nodes).

(tan) 0.4–0.5 mm.

(purple) 0.5–0.6 mm.

= 28.