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.

extensively branching, to 12 × 0.5–0.7 cm, becoming 1.5–2 cm diam., with coarse, strongly ribbed, brown, scalelike leaves.

simple, solid, 0.5–3 dm.

simple or rarely 1-branched, 3–7 dm.

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 green, often with red-brown margins, lightly ribbed, linear-ensiform, 3–5 dm × 1.5–2.3 cm, glaucous, apex acute;

cauline 2–3, spreading, blade narrowly linear, 0.5–0.7 cm wide, apex acute.

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-flowered, branch unit (if present) 1-flowered;

spathes covering pedicel, ovary, floral tube, and base of sepals, unequal, outer 3 cm × 10 mm, inner 6 cm × 10 mm.

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 blue-violet;

floral tube with brown striations, funnelform, 2–2.5 cm;

sepals blue-violet with deeper veins, with yellow-white signal, orbicular, 7–8 × 3–4 cm, base abruptly attenuate into whitish claw with yellow-brown veining;

petals mostly hidden by bases of sepals, much reduced, 1.5 × 0.3–0.5 cm, bristle absent;

ovary trigonal, with shallow groove at each angle, 1.5 cm;

style 3.5–4 cm, crests linear to subquadrate, 1–1.8 cm, margins sometimes incised;

stigmas semicircular, margins entire;

pedicel 2–3.5 cm.

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

globose to oblong, obtusely 3-angled, with rounded angles, 2.5–4 × 2 cm, rounded basally, abruptly contracted into beak apically.

brown, irregularly D-shaped, wrinkled.

in 1 row per locule, dark red-brown, semicircular, flattened, 6–8 mm;

seed coat thick.

= 40.

= 40.