Flora of North America species comparison

erect, canescent, hairs tufted (not appressed), 6–8-rayed, infrequently glabrate.

erect or ascending to decumbent.

stipules persistent, lanceolate, subfalcate, 3–5 × 1 mm, apex acuminate;

petioles 35–80 mm on proximal leaves, reduced to 10–15 mm on distal leaves and usually on xerophytes;

blade wide-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, very shallowly 3-lobed in distal 1/2 or unlobed (in most plants in the flora area), varying from 5–12 × 4–10 cm on proximal leaves to 2–4 × 1.5–3 cm on distal leaves, usually 1–2 times longer than wide, 2 times longer than petiole of proximal leaves to 3–5 times longer on distal leaves, base slightly cordate or rounded to truncate or cuneate, margins dentate to denticulate, apex acute, surfaces stellate-hairy, hairs (5–)6–12-rayed.

stipules persistent [deciduous], lanceolate to linear [wide-ovate], usually subfalcate or falcate;

blade wide-ovate to lanceolate, unlobed or sometimes obscurely 3-lobed, base rounded, slightly cordate, nearly truncate, to cuneate, margins crenate-dentate to dentate-serrate or denticulate.

first 1 or 2 flowers solitary, axillary, remainder in dense terminal spikes 3–10 cm, these terminating each branch;

floral bracts 2-fid, 4–5 × 2 mm.

axillary solitary flowers, terminal racemes or spikes in distal 1/2 of plant;

involucel present, bractlets persistent, 3, distinct, free or adnate basally to calyx.

0.1–3 mm, not lengthening in fruit;

involucellar bractlets adnate basally to calyx for 1.5–2 mm, lanceolate, subfalcate, 5–7 × 0.8–1.5 mm, equaling to barely exceeding calyx lobes, apex acute to acuminate.

calyx connate 1/4–1/3 its length, broadly campanulate, 5–6 mm, to 6–10 mm in fruit, surface densely hirsute, hairs scattered, appressed, apically directed, 1–1.5 mm, mixed with minute, closely appressed, 5–8-rayed, stellate hairs;

corolla wide-spreading, orange-yellow, 12–17 mm diam., petals obovate, shortly asymmetrically lobed, 6–10 × 4–6 mm, exceeding calyx by 2–3 mm;

staminal column 2–3 mm, stellate-puberulent;

style (9 or)10–15(–18)-branched.

calyx not inflated (slightly so in M. hispidum), somewhat accrescent, lobes 3–5-ribbed, deltate to narrowly triangular;

corolla campanulate to wide-spreading, yellow to yellow-orange;

staminal column included;

ovary (5–)8–18-carpellate;

ovules 1 per cell;

style 5–18-branched (equal in number to locules);

stigmas capitate.

schizocarps, erect, not inflated, oblate-discoid, usually depressed in center, somewhat indurate at maturity;

mericarps (5–)8–18, drying tan or brown, without dorsal spurs or with 1–3 apical (dorsal) spurs (mucros or cusps) 0.1–2.3 mm, sparsely to densely hairy, rarely glabrous, indehiscent or rarely dehiscent (in M. hispidum).

1.5 mm.

1 per mericarp, glabrous.

4–6 mm diam.;

mericarps tardily shed from calyx, (9 or)10–15(–18), 1.5–3 × 1.5–2 × 0.8 mm, margins angled, sides radially ribbed, narrowly-notched, with 1 minute, proximal-apical mucro to 0.1 mm, minutely hirsute, hairs ascending, restricted to top, simple, 0.1–0.5 mm.

= 6.

= 24.