Flora of North America species comparison

superficial or only slightly buried in peaty soil, cordlike portions usually 1-branched, 40 cm × 2–5 mm, bearing scalelike leaves at nodes;

nodal roots absent.

many-branched, not creeping, forming dense clumps, slender, 0.3–0.8 cm diam.;

roots fibrous.

simple or 1–2-branched, 3–8 dm.

simple, somewhat angular, solid, 1.5–2.7 dm.

basal with blade slightly ribbed, 3–6 dm × 0.2–0.5 cm;

cauline 1–4, erect.

basal somewhat lax, overtopping stem, blade light green, paling to pink or straw color basally, finely ribbed, linear-acute to linear, ensiform, 4.5 dm × 0.5 cm, margins not thickened;

cauline 1–3, sheathing for 1/2 length then spreading, foliaceous, blade linear-lanceolate, not inflated, narrow, reduced, to 15 cm.

1–3-flowered, branch units 1–2-flowered;

spathes pale brown, narrowly lanceolate, 2–4 cm, scarious or partially membranaceous.

1–2-flowered;

spathes distant basally by 3 cm in some cases, keeled, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate-acuminate, 5–7 cm × 2–4 mm, unequal, outer longer than inner, herbaceous, margins scarious.

perianth pale blue or blue-violet;

floral tube 0.2–0.3 cm;

sepals pale violet, veined deep violet basally, ovate, 4–5 × 1.3–2 cm, base abruptly attenuate;

petals lavender, oblanceolate, 3.5–4.5 × 0.7–1.5 cm;

ovary trigonal, sharply angled;

style arched, narrow, 2–3 cm, crests divergent, quadrate, 0.5–0.7 cm, margins serrate;

stigmas sharply triangular;

pedicel somewhat flattened, 3–7 cm, exserted from spathe.

perianth color variable, purple, pink, lavender, cream, yellow, or rarely white;

floral tube funnelform, 0.6–2 cm;

sepals veined with color of limb, obovate, 5.8–6 × 1.6–2 cm, base gradually attenuate into white claw with slight yellow ridge, apex emarginate to bluntly rounded;

petals same color as sepals, not prominently veined, lanceolate to oblanceolate, 5 × 1 cm;

ovary 1–2 cm, slightly wider distally, base very gradually attenuate;

style 2.2–3.2 cm, crests subquadrate, 8–12 mm, margins crenate or incised;

stigmas triangular, margins entire;

pedicel 1–5 cm, longer in second flower (when present) than in first.

sharply 3-angled, almost winged, 3–4 × 1.2–1.4 cm, concave faces 6–14 mm wide.

oblong, triangular in cross section, prominently ribbed, beaked, 3–5 cm.

in 1 row per locule, buff to dark brown, pyriform, with convex sides, 3–4 mm, smooth.

brown, D-shaped to irregular, wrinkled.

= 42.