Flora of North America species comparison

creeping, not producing dense clumps, covered with remains of old leaves, slender to moderately thick, 0.5–0.9 cm diam.;

roots fibrous.

with proximal cordlike portion 0.8–2 dm × 2 mm, bearing brown, scalelike leaves and rarely roots, distal portion enlarging to 3–5 × 0.8–1.2 cm, producing fibrous roots, 2–3 brown, sheathing, bractlike leaves, then 8–12 green foliage leaves; usually 2 cordlike rhizomes produced from apex as new growth begins in spring.

simple, solid, 0.5–3 dm.

simple, 0.8–4 cm.

basal deciduous, blade pale green, not pink basally, 2–4.5 dm × 0.2–0.6(–1) cm, sometimes glaucous, margins not thickened;

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

basal with blade broadly linear at anthesis, slightly falcate, 4–6 cm × 6–8 mm, enlarging to 16 cm × 10 mm;

cauline with proximal 1–2 resembling basal leaves, 4–6 cm, distal 2 more sheathing of stem, exceeding spathes.

1–2(–3)-flowered;

spathes divergent, separated by 1.5–4 cm, linear to linear-lanceolate, unequal, outer 5–11 cm × 4–7 mm, inner 5–6 cm × 2–3 mm, herbaceous, apex acute.

1(–2)-flowered;

spathes green, outer closely sheathing inner and enclosing ovary, slightly keeled at midrib, 4.5 cm, ± equal, margins scarious.

perianth lavender, cream, or pale to deep yellow;

floral tube funnelform, 0.5–1(–1.5) cm;

sepals oblanceolate, 4–7 × 1.4–2 cm, base gradually attenuate;

petals narrowly oblanceolate, 3.5–6 × 0.5–1.1 cm, widest at about 1/2 their length, base abruptly attenuate, claw 1–2 mm wide;

ovary nearly cylindrical, 1–2 cm;

style 1.6–3 cm, crests overlapping, obtusely angled, 0.5–1.1 cm;

stigmas acutely triangular, margins entire;

pedicel 0.5–2.5 cm at anthesis, lengthening to 3.5–7.5 cm at maturity.

perianth sky blue;

floral tube dull yellow, funnelform, 1–2 cm, dilated upward to 4–5 mm diam.;

sepals 2–2.3 × 0.8 cm, tapering gradually into claw, apex emarginate, signal white with deep violet margin, with 3 yellow and white, toothed, low ridges;

petals spreading, narrowly oblanceolate, 1–1.5 × 0.4–0.5 cm, shorter and narrower than sepals, apex emarginate;

ovary sharply trigonal, 0.8–1 cm;

style 1–2 cm, crests linear to semiovate, 4 mm, margins crenate;

stigmas rounded, margins entire;

pedicel 0.6–1.5 cm.

oblong-oval, 3-angled, tapering abruptly at either end, 2–3 cm.

roundly triangular, 1.2 × 8 mm, enclosed in spathes.

brown, irregularly D-shaped, wrinkled.

dark brown, with white appendage spiraled around seed, ca. 3 mm, quickly drying when exposed to air.

= 40.

= 32, 42.