Flora of North America species comparison

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

roots fleshy.

extensively branching, to 12 × 0.5–0.7 cm, becoming 1.5–2 cm diam., with coarse, strongly ribbed, brown, scalelike leaves.

usually 1-branched, solid, 7–15 dm.

simple or rarely 1-branched, 3–7 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 with blade green, often with red-brown margins, lightly ribbed, linear-ensiform, 3–5 dm × 1.5–2.3 cm, glaucous, apex acute;

cauline 2–3, spreading, blade narrowly linear, 0.5–0.7 cm wide, apex acute.

4–12-flowered;

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

1-flowered, branch unit (if present) 1-flowered;

spathes covering pedicel, ovary, floral tube, and base of sepals, unequal, outer 3 cm × 10 mm, inner 6 cm × 10 mm.

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 blue-violet;

floral tube with brown striations, funnelform, 2–2.5 cm;

sepals blue-violet with deeper veins, with yellow-white signal, orbicular, 7–8 × 3–4 cm, base abruptly attenuate into whitish claw with yellow-brown veining;

petals mostly hidden by bases of sepals, much reduced, 1.5 × 0.3–0.5 cm, bristle absent;

ovary trigonal, with shallow groove at each angle, 1.5 cm;

style 3.5–4 cm, crests linear to subquadrate, 1–1.8 cm, margins sometimes incised;

stigmas semicircular, margins entire;

pedicel 2–3.5 cm.

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

globose to oblong, obtusely 3-angled, with rounded angles, 2.5–4 × 2 cm, rounded basally, abruptly contracted into beak apically.

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

in 1 row per locule, dark red-brown, semicircular, flattened, 6–8 mm;

seed coat thick.

= 34.

= 40.