Flora of North America species comparison

freely branching, forming compact tufts, slender, 0.3–0.4 cm diam., covered with remains of old leaves;

roots fibrous.

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

simple, solid, slender, 2–2.5 dm.

2–3-branched, solid, 10–15(–20+) dm.

basal evergreen, abundant, blade dark, shining green on one side, lighter green on the other, pink to deep purple basally, 3.5 dm × 0.2–0.4 cm, longer than flowering stem, margins not thickened;

cauline 2–4, sheathing stem for about 2/3 length, foliaceous, spreading, blade not inflated, 4–9 cm.

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.

1(–2)-flowered;

spathes closely enclosing ovary and floral tube, broadly lanceolate to ovate, 3.3–6 cm × 5–7 mm, herbaceous, margins scarious.

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.

perianth usually dark golden yellow, cream, pink, lavender, or purple, heavily veined purple or brown;

floral tube 1.5–3 cm;

sepals usually yellow with heavy veining, broadly oblanceolate, 4.5–6 × 1.7–3 cm, base gradually attenuate, margins often wavy;

petals same color as sepals with lighter veining, narrowly oblanceolate, 4–5.7 × 0.9–1.6 cm, base gradually attenuate;

ovary roundly triangular in cross section, 1.5–1.8 cm;

style 2–2.6 cm, crests overlapping, subquadrate to semiovate, 0.9–1.4 cm, margins irregularly toothed;

stigmas triangular, margins entire;

pedicel 0.4–1.3 cm at anthesis.

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.

oblong-oval, circular in cross section, 2.5 × 1.2 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.

in 2 rows per locule, dark brown, oval, sharply angled, 3 mm, wrinkled, pitted.

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

= 40.

= 44.