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, freely branching, forming dense clumps, 0.9–1.2 cm diam., covered with remnants of old leaves.

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

simple or 1–3-branched, hollow, 6–12 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.

dying back in winter, blade dark green, often tinged pink at base, 4–8 dm × 0.4–0.6 cm.

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.

3–5-flowered, lateral units 2–3-flowered;

spathes brown, to 4 cm, narrow, papery, 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 light to dark blue-violet to white;

floral tube with indistinct ribs, circular, ca. 1 cm;

sepals flaring or curving downward apically, widely orbiculate, 5–7 × 2–2.5 cm, base abruptly attenuate into claw with two narrow flanges basally, signal white, semicircular, with dark violet veins basally;

petals erect, narrowly elliptic-obovate, 4.5–5.5 × 1.5–1.8 cm;

ovary roundly triangular, spindle-shaped, 1.5–2 cm;

style pale blue, bluntly keeled, 4–5 cm, crests overlapping, triangular, margins crenate;

stigmas tonguelike projections, triangular;

pedicel 1–15 cm, unequal, later flowers in each spathe with longer pedicel.

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

roundly triangular with low ridges at angles, 3–4.5 × 1–1.3 cm, smooth, apex with extremely short tip, opening only in upper 1/4–1/3 of capsule.

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

in 2 rows per locule, dark brown, D-shaped, flattened, 5 × 3 mm, slightly roughened by small, rounded protuberances.

= 38.

= 28.