Flora of North America species comparison

pink, freely branching, producing extensive clumps, 2–3 cm diam., with fibrous remains of old leaves;

roots fleshy.

many-branched, forming dense, cespitose clumps with many crowded fans with persistent old leaf bases, 3–5 × 1.3–1.5 cm.

usually 1-branched, solid, 7–15 dm.

several to many from a single clump of fans, simple, 0.5–6 dm.

basal deciduous, at first erect, then recurved, blade dark green, with prominent median thickening, 4–10 dm × 2–3 cm, slightly glaucous basally;

cauline equaling inflorescence unit.

basal erect or strongly ascending, blade 1–5.2 dm × 0.5–1.4 cm;

cauline 2–4, proximal 2–3 similar to basal leaves, distalmost leaf occasionally borne nearly midway on stem, clasping, blade bracteiform, lanceolate, 0.5–1.5 dm.

4–12-flowered;

spathes green with brown margins, outer spathe strongly keeled, inner without keel, 6–9 cm, subequal, margins not scarious.

1–2-flowered;

spathes herbaceous, lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 2.5–6 cm, firm, outer spathe apex acute, inner similar or scarious at apex.

perianth bright yellow;

floral tube 0.6–0.8 cm, with no constriction into ovary;

sepals bright yellow or cream colored, lanceolate to ovate or suborbiculate, 5–7.5 × 3–4 cm, base abruptly attenuate, claw ca. 1/2 length of limb, signal a darker yellow basal patch limited by short, brown lines;

petals without veining, lanceolate to spatulate, 2–3 cm;

ovary triangular in cross section with concave sides and narrow groove at each angle, 1.5 cm;

style keeled, 3–4 cm, crests spreading, 1–1.2 cm, laciniate at apex;

stigmas rounded with prominent tongue;

pedicel 2.5–7 cm.

perianth deep to pale blue or blue-violet;

floral tube 0.5–0.75 cm;

sepals broadly rounded, 2.5–4 cm wide, base strongly attenuate to claw, signal diffuse white basal patch;

petals much reduced to insignificant, involute or tubular rudiments, 1–2 cm, apex with short bristle, mostly hidden by sepal bases;

ovary green or flushed purple, acutely trigonal;

style white with purple keel, 2–5 cm, crests overlapping, 2-lobed, subquadrate, margins coarsely serrate;

stigmas rounded-triangular, margins entire;

pedicel 2.5–4 cm.

prismatic to oblong-ovoid, obscurely 3-angled with obvious groove at each angle, 3.5–6 cm, beak 5 mm.

thin walled, trigonal, with rounded angles and grooved sides, 2–4 cm, apex blunt.

D-shaped, flattened, 6–7 mm, corky, lustrous.

in 2 rows per locule, dark brown with prominent white raphe, compressed-pyriform, 4–6 mm, lustrous.

= 34.

= 38.