Flora of North America species comparison

1–25+, ± prostrate, simple or branched, glabrous.

0.5–5 cm, margins conspicuously white-crustose.

basal and cauline, crowded; petiolate or sessile;

basal blades ± oblanceolate, margins dentate or pinnately lobed and crustose-denticulate;

cauline progressively reduced to oblanceolate, crustose-denticulate bracts.

not distally inflated, often bracteate.

10–14 mm.

cylindric to urceolate, 3–8+ mm diam.

± flat, smooth, glabrous, epaleate.

9–18;

corollas white to cream, aging pink or purple, ligules 4–10 mm, equaling or scarcely exserted beyond involucres.

7–18;

corollas white to pale yellow, becoming pink-purple (especially when dry).

5–8+ in 1–2 series, commonly purplish-tinged, linear, equal, margins scarious, apices acute.

margins of bractlets crustose-dentate ± throughout.

of 5–8, linear to oblanceolate bractlets in ± 1 series, apices expanded, crustose-denticulate.

1–2 cm diam.

(1–3) borne singly or 2–3 in bract axils.

straw-colored or light brown, subcylindric or slightly flattened, often curved, abruptly beaked, obtusely 4–5-angled, ribs transversely roughened, alternating with 5 rows of pits, glabrous or minutely puberulent;

pappi falling (outer, individually) or ± persistent (inner, connate at bases in easily fractured rings), of 50–80+, white, barbellulate to smooth bristles in 3–4+ series.

= 9.

= 18.