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.

pale pinkish white, freely branching, forming large clumps, 1–2.5 cm diam., clothed with remnants of old leaves;

roots fleshy.

simple, 5–15 cm.

1–2-branched, solid, 2–6 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 green to grayish green, often purplish basally, centrally thickened in mature leaves, prominently veined, narrowly ensiform, 1–8 dm × 1–3 cm;

cauline 1–2, blade linear-lanceolate, seldom equaling stem.

1–2-flowered;

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

compact, units 2–4-flowered;

spathes never foliaceous, 3–6 cm, unequal, outer shorter than inner, thickly chartaceous to scarious, margins shiny, darker in color.

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 violet-blue to rarely white;

floral tube funnelform, constricted above ovary, 1–1.2 cm;

sepals ovate to reniform, 4–7.2 × 1.8–4 cm, base abruptly attenuate, signal a pubescent, greenish or greenish yellow patch surrounded by heavily veined purple on white at base of blade;

petals lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 2–5 × 0.5–2 cm, much shorter than sepals, firm, apex rarely emarginate;

ovary rounded-triangular in cross section, somewhat inflated, 0.8–2 cm;

style 3–3.5 cm, base not auriculate, margins entire or toothed, crests reflexed, 0.7–1.5 cm;

stigmas unlobed, triangular or rounded-triangular, margins entire;

pedicel 2–8 cm, frequently exceeding spathe.

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.

often persistent over winter, ovoid to oblong-ellipsoid, conspicuously beaked, obtusely triangular in cross section, 1.5–6 cm, tardily dehiscent.

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

dark brown, D-shaped, 5–8 mm, shiny, thin, hard, regularly pebbled, not corky.

= 108.