Flora of North America species comparison

freely branching, producing large colonies, stout, 2–3 cm diam., clothed with dark remnants of old leaves;

roots fleshy.

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

roots few, fibrous.

simple or 1–2-branched, solid, 2.5–6 dm.

simple, solid, slender, 0.25–2 dm.

basal with blade light green, often white basally, not prominently veined, linear, 4.5–6 dm × 0.3–1.2 cm, glaucous, apex acute;

cauline 2–3, often shed with spent stem, similar to basal leaves, distal may subtend branch.

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.

with terminal and lateral units (when present) (1–)2–3-flowered;

spathes subopposite to distant, to as much as 3–7.5 cm apart, lanceolate or ovate, keeled, outer usually shorter, 3.5–4 cm, inner 5.5–7 cm, scarious with herbaceous areas basally and along keel, apex acuminate.

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 lavender to white, veined deeper violet;

floral tube green with purple veins in line with midrib of petals, funnelform, constricted above ovary, 0.5–1.2 cm;

sepals deeply veined lilac-purple, with yellow-white signal at base of limb, claw yellowish white, veined and dotted with purple, obovate, 3.7–7 × 1.2–3.2 cm;

petals slightly divergent, oblanceolate to spatulate, 3.6–7 × 0.5–1.2 cm, base gradually attenuate, apex acuminate or rarely emarginate;

ovary trigonal with 6 shallow ridges, 1–2 cm;

style 2.4–4 cm, crests quadrate, 0.7–1.4 cm, margins irregularly toothed;

stigmas 2-lobed, margins entire;

pedicel slender, 1–6 cm at anthesis, increasing to 7.5–8 cm at maturity.

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.

almost circular in cross section, with 6 obvious, equidistant ridges, 4–5 × 1.5 cm.

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

light brown, nearly globular to pyriform, 4–4.5 mm, wrinkled.

buff, slightly compressed.

= 38.

= 40.