Flora of North America species comparison

greenish with brown leaf scars, branching from older buds quite some distance proximal to apex, forming widely scattered colonies, 2–2.5 cm diam.

compact, dark brown, slender, 0.5–0.6 cm diam., covered with old leaf bases;

roots few, fibrous.

1–2-branched, solid, 3–9 dm.

simple, solid, slender, 0.25–2 dm.

basal stiffly erect, blade yellow-green, lightly ribbed, 8–9 dm × 2–3 cm;

cauline 1–2, foliaceous, blade 1.2–2 dm, exceeding subtended flower.

basal with blade light green, pink or red-tinged basally, finely ribbed, linear-acute, 2.5–5 dm × 0.3–0.5 cm, somewhat glaucous, margins not thickened;

cauline 1–3, imbricated, blade bractlike, inflated.

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

spathes lanceolate, subequal or unequal, apex acute;

outer foliaceous, 15–20 cm, usually exceeding flower;

inner 8–10 cm, herbaceous, with scarious margins.

usually 2–flowered;

spathes sometimes flushed pink or purple apically, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 5–10 cm × 3–7 mm, unequal, outer much shorter and narrower than inner, herbaceous, margins often scarious, apex acute.

perianth blue to violet, rarely white;

floral tube funnelform, grooved in line with grooves of ovary, 2–3 cm;

sepals spreading horizontally, obovate to oval, 8–8.5 × 4 cm, claw greenish with prominent yellow midrib which is pubescent on each side at base, apex rounded;

petals erect or spreading-erect, oblanceolate to spatulate, 7–9 × 2 cm, claw veined with green;

ovary roundly triangular in cross section, with wide grooves at angles and concave sides, 2–3 cm;

style convex laterally from central reddish ridge, 3.5–5 cm, narrower than claw of sepals, crests erect, overlapping, semiovate to triangular, 1–5 cm, margins coarsely toothed;

stigmas 2-lobed, lobes triangular or rounded-deltoid, margins entire;

pedicel 2.5–3.5 cm.

perianth cream or very pale yellow, with deeper yellow or lavender veins;

floral tube linear, slender, 4.5–12 cm;

sepals with bluish tinge and veins, oblanceolate, 4.6–7 × 1–2 cm, base gradually attenuate;

petals lanceolate, 3–5.5 × 0.6–1.2 cm, base gradually attenuate, apex emarginate;

ovary 1–1.8 cm, base abruptly attenuate into pedicel (when present), apex gradually acuminate into floral tube;

style 2–3 cm, crests 1.5–2 cm, sometimes exceeding arms, apex narrowly pointed;

stigmas tongue-shaped, margins entire;

pedicel absent or 0.5–1 cm at anthesis.

hexagonal in cross section, with 3 alternate sides plane, others with 2 rounded ridges with shallow groove between them, 2.5–3.5 × 2–2.5 cm.

sometimes on elongated pedicel, oblong, round in cross section, sharply beaked, 2–3 cm.

in 2 rows per locule, light brown, D-shaped or irregularly rounded, 4–6 mm, corky.

buff, slightly compressed.

= 44.

= 40.