Flora of North America species comparison

green, extensively branched, forming large clumps, 2–4 cm diam., with pale leaf scars.

many-branched, forming tufts, with fibrous remains of old leaves at nodes, slender, 0.6–0.8 cm diam.;

roots few, fibrous.

2–3-branched, solid, 10–15(–20+) dm.

simple, solid, almost absent or to 2.5 dm.

basal 4–6, erect, blade bright green, ensiform, 10–13 dm × 2–3 cm, apex slightly curved;

cauline with blade foliaceous, appearing as elongated spathe, 5–6.5 dm × 2–3 cm, not exceeding flowers.

basal longer than stem, blade light green, finely veined, narrowly linear, 3–4 dm × 0.4–0.6 cm, glaucous, margins not thickened, apex acute;

cauline 1–2, spreading, sheathing for about 1/2 length, foliaceous, blade not inflated, 0.7–1 dm.

2–3-flowered, branch units 1–2-flowered;

spathes tightly enclosing ovary and pedicel, 15–20 cm, subequal;

outer narrowly lanceolate, keeled, margins pale, narrow, inner margins translucent, broad, scarious.

(1–)2-flowered;

spathes nearly opposite, connivent, linear-lanceolate, 4–9.5 cm × 4–6 mm, subequal or outer longer.

perianth blue or blue-purple;

floral tube tubular-prismatic, 9-ribbed and -grooved, 4–5 cm;

sepals blue or blue-purple with white streaks surrounding signal, oval to orbicular-oval, 9.5–11 × 4–5 cm, base abruptly attenuate into claw, apex obtusely angled, signal with raised, yellow, pubescent central ridge, claw green, striate, 4–4.5 × 1–1.2 cm;

petals erect or spreading-erect, spatulate, 7–8.5 × 2–3 cm, base cuneate, apex emarginate;

ovary bluntly 6-angled, 4–4.5 cm;

style blue-violet, keeled, 3.5–4 cm, raised above sepals, crests recurved, 1.5–2 cm, margins sharply and irregularly serrate;

stigmas 2-lobed with 2 triangular teeth;

pedicel columnar, 3.5–5 cm.

perianth indigo, purple, lavender, white, cream, or yellow;

floral tube linear, gradually dilating apically, 6 cm;

sepals usually with fine, dark veins basally, becoming coarser on claw, oblanceolate or obovate, 3.9–7 × 2 cm, base abruptly attenuate into claw;

petals oblanceolate, 3.5–6 × 0.5–1.6 cm, base gradually attenuate;

ovary ovoid, ca. 1 cm;

style 2–3.5 cm, crests overlapping, reflexed, semiovate, 0.8–1.8 cm, margins denticulate;

stigmas triangular, margins entire;

pedicel 1.5–2 cm.

drooping, bright green, ellipsoid, hexagonal in cross section, with 6 broad, rounded lobes, 8–10 × 3 cm, indehiscent;

after anthesis, flower stem elongates, arching downward to push capsule into water, where walls are broken down and as funiculus is broken, seed rises to surface.

oblong to ovoid, somewhat 3-angled in cross section, 2.5–3 cm.

in 2 rows per locule, brown, D-shaped, 8–10 mm wide, very corky.

dark brown, angular, finely wrinkled.

= 44.

= 40.