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.

sparingly short-branched, forming dense clumps, 1–1.5 cm diam., hard, with old leaf bases at nodes;

roots fleshy.

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

slightly flattened, with 1–2 short branches, solid, 4–12 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 erect, blade with slight spiral twist and central ridge, 3.5–8 dm × 1–2 cm, stiff, harsh, fibrous, glaucous;

cauline 2–3, 1–2 subtending floral clusters, blade reduced.

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.

clustered, 2–4-flowered;

spathes white, 3–5 cm, subequal, papery.

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 white;

floral tube funnelform, 1–2.5 cm;

sepals spreading and arching downward, with large yellow basal area, broadly orbicular, 8–10 × 3–6 cm, apex rounded, deeply emarginate;

petals white, spatulate, 4–6 × 1–1.5 cm, base gradually attenuate, apex emarginate;

ovary triangular in cross section with 2 ribs at each angle, 2–2.5 cm;

style white, with parallel sides, 4–5 cm, crests erect, triangular, 1–2 cm;

stigmas 2-lobed;

pedicel 2.5–7.5 cm.

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

ovoid to oblong-elliptic, triangular in cross section, each angle 2-ribbed, 4–5 × 2–2.5 cm.

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

in 2 rows per locule, white, flattened or wedge-shaped, 4–5 mm, papery, wrinkled.

= 38.

= 40.