Flora of North America species comparison

much branched, forming dense clumps, dark red-brown, very slender, 0.3–0.6 cm diam., covered with remains of old leaves;

roots fibrous.

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

simple, solid, 1.5–2.5 dm.

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

basal few, laxly spreading, longer than stem, blade bright dark green adaxially, flushed pink basally, veins subprominent, linear, 2.8–4.8 dm × 0.5–0.8 cm, rather glaucous abaxially, margins thickened, apex acute;

cauline imbricated, sheathing, free only at tips, bracteiform, blade green edged with pink, strongly striate, inflated, apex acuminate.

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

1–2-flowered;

spathes green with prominent red margins, inflated, broadly lanceolate-ovate, 5.6–7 cm × 8–13 mm, unequal, outer shorter than inner, herbaceous, apex acuminate.

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

spathes brown, to 4 cm, narrow, papery, apex acute.

perianth pale creamy yellow flushed with pale lavender, with conspicuous brownish purple lines;

floral tube linear, 3–5 cm, somewhat dilated apically;

sepals widely spreading, veined and dotted with deeper purple on claw and limb, oblanceolate, 5.5–8.4 × 1.6–2.7 cm;

petals spreading, lanceolate, 5–7 × 1–2 cm, margins sinuate;

ovary trigonal in cross section with groove along each angle, narrow, 1–1.5 cm;

style 2–3 cm, crests narrowly semiovate or nearly linear, laciniate, 1–2 cm;

stigmas rounded-truncate to 2-lobed, never triangular, margins minutely denticulate;

pedicel 1–2 cm.

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.

oblong-ovoid, trigonal, somewhat beaked, 2–3 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, D-shaped, oblong-ovoid, thick, finely wrinkled.

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

= 40.

= 28.