Flora of North America species comparison

many-branched, forming dense clumps, 2–4 cm diam., usually covered with remnants of old leaves;

roots fleshy.

freely branching, forming large clumps, slender, 1–1.2 cm diam., covered with remains of old leaves;

roots fibrous.

rather weak, often falling over after flowering, solid, usually 1-branched, 5–10 dm.

simple, solid, 6–7 dm.

basal erect or often flexible, blade gray-green to bright green, buff to purplish basally, with several prominent ribs in mature leaves, linear-ensiform, 6–8 dm × 2.5–3 cm, apex acute.

basal persistent, blade gray-green, green and without pink coloration basally, 6–7 dm × 1.5–2 cm, glaucous, margins not thickened;

cauline 1–2, free from stem for ca. 1/2 length, foliaceous, spreading, blade not inflated.

2–3-flowered, branch units 1–2-flowered;

spathes compact, often with brown striations, ridged, unequal, outer 3–8 cm, inner 8–14 cm, firm, herbaceous.

3(–4)-flowered;

spathes widely separated, sometimes by 9 cm, divergent, unequal, outer 6.5–15 cm × 8–14 mm, inner much shorter.

perianth lavender to violet, rarely white;

floral tube constricted above ovary, 1–2 cm;

sepals spreading and arched, pale blue to purple with darker blue or purple lines, obovate to oval, 4–8.4 × 1.6–4 cm, base abruptly attenuate, claw green in median, bordered by yellow ground with blue or purple lines, yellow extending onto base of limb as finely pubescent signal patch;

petals oblong-lanceolate to oblong-spatulate, 3–7 × 1–3 cm, claw greenish yellow with blue or purplish lines, apex often emarginate;

ovary trigonal, 1.3–3.8 cm;

style inwardly auriculate at convergences, 3–4.5 cm, crests reflexed, 0.7–2 cm;

stigmas unlobed, with prominent triangular tongues, margins entire;

pedicel 2.5–8 cm.

perianth pale powder blue to lavender or violet, often frilled and veined in violet or darker blue;

floral tube funnelform, 0.7–1 cm;

sepals oblong-ovate to broadly oblanceolate, 6.2–9 × 1.8–3.7 cm, base gradually attenuate, apex emarginate;

petals oblong to spatulate, 5–9.5 × 1.2–2.1 cm, base attenuate, apex apiculate;

ovary rounded in cross section, 1.4–3 cm, base gradually attenuate into pedicel, apex abruptly acuminate into floral tube;

style 3 cm, crests reflexed, subquadrate, shallowly lobed, 1.1–2 cm, margins entire or obscurely and shallowly lobed;

stigmas triangular, margins entire;

pedicels of varying lengths, 0.8–4.8 cm on first flower, those of later flowers longer.

ovoid, ellipsoid, or long-cylindric, trigonal or polygonal in cross section, 3–6 × 1–2 cm.

oblong, rounded in cross section, tapering abruptly at either end, to 5 cm.

in 2 rows per locule, pale brown, usually D-shaped, 5–8 mm, pitted, corky.

brown, D-shaped or irregular, coarsely wrinkled.

= 70, 72.

= 40.