Flora of North America species comparison

heterogeneous, whitish, cordlike portions 0.1–1.5 dm × 2–4 mm, enlarging to 6–8 mm diam., densely covered with brown, scalelike leaves, roots absent, or torulose with roots borne along entire rhizome.

compact, dark brown, slender, 0.5–0.6 cm diam., covered with old leaf bases;

roots few, fibrous.

simple, 5–15 cm.

simple, solid, slender, 0.25–2 dm.

basal with blade light green, ensiform, 0.3–1.5 dm × 0.3–1.3 cm, enlarging to 3.5 dm, glaucous;

cauline 5–9, sheathing, imbricate, blade light green, obovate, 1.3–5 cm, increasing in length, proximal shortest, membranous, apex acute.

basal with blade light green, pink or red-tinged basally, finely ribbed, linear-acute, 2.5–5 dm × 0.3–0.5 cm, somewhat glaucous, margins not thickened;

cauline 1–3, imbricated, blade bractlike, inflated.

1–2-flowered;

spathes divergent, exposing floral tube, green, lanceolate, 2–2.5 cm, apex acuminate.

usually 2–flowered;

spathes sometimes flushed pink or purple apically, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 5–10 cm × 3–7 mm, unequal, outer much shorter and narrower than inner, herbaceous, margins often scarious, apex acute.

floral tube pale violet, filiform, 2.5–6.5 cm, expanding somewhat distally to 2.5–4 cm diam.;

sepals widely spreading, blue to violet with yellow or orange longitudinal papillose band at base of blade, obovate, 2–6 × 0.8–2 cm, base gradually attenuate into claw, not crested;

petals erect, arching inward at tip, spatulate, 2–7 × 1–2 cm, base abruptly attenuate into claw;

ovary linear, to 1.3 cm;

styles pale violet, 2.5–4 cm, crests linear-acute, narrow, 0.7 cm;

stigmas rounded, margins entire;

pedicel 1–3 cm, increasing to 25 cm as capsule matures.

perianth cream or very pale yellow, with deeper yellow or lavender veins;

floral tube linear, slender, 4.5–12 cm;

sepals with bluish tinge and veins, oblanceolate, 4.6–7 × 1–2 cm, base gradually attenuate;

petals lanceolate, 3–5.5 × 0.6–1.2 cm, base gradually attenuate, apex emarginate;

ovary 1–1.8 cm, base abruptly attenuate into pedicel (when present), apex gradually acuminate into floral tube;

style 2–3 cm, crests 1.5–2 cm, sometimes exceeding arms, apex narrowly pointed;

stigmas tongue-shaped, margins entire;

pedicel absent or 0.5–1 cm at anthesis.

3-angled with single ridge at each angle, almost hidden in bases of spathes, 1–3.2 × 0.8–1.5 cm, tapering into beak consisting of dried remnant of floral tube.

sometimes on elongated pedicel, oblong, round in cross section, sharply beaked, 2–3 cm.

dark brown, ribbed, 2.8–3.2 mm, lustrous, with small, fleshy aril basally.

buff, slightly compressed.

= 40.