Flora of North America species comparison

erect or strongly ascending, leafy mostly in proximal 2/3 of plant, openly forked distally, 5–12 dm, pubescent basally with minute curved hairs in 2 lines, spreading glandular-pilose distally.

erect to decumbent, sparsely leafy, leaves distributed throughout, well branched, often sprawling on other plants, 2–11.5 dm, basally usually with 2 lines of minute curved hairs, occasionally glabrous, distally with 2 lines of curved hairs, or evenly puberulent with curved hairs, sometimes also spreading-villous or viscid-villous.

ascending at 10–60°, progressively reduced toward infloresence;

petiole 0.8–3 cm;

blade bright green, narrowly triangular-ovate to ovate, 3–10 × 0.8–4 cm, ± thin, base acute, obtuse, truncate, or cordate, apex acute to attenuate, or obtuse, often rounded at tip, surfaces glabrous or rarely puberulent.

ascending to spreading at 45–90°, abruptly reduced in inflorescence;

petiole 0.5–1.2 cm;

blade green, lanceolate-triangular to ovate-triangular, 2–5 × 1–4.5 cm, thin or slightly thickened and fleshy, base obtuse to round, rarely attenuate, apex acute, sometimes narrowly so, rarely round, surfaces glabrous.

axillary and terminal, few branched, ± evenly forked and open;

peduncle 2–9 mm, spreading glandular-villous, crosswalls of hairs dark purple or black;

involucres blushed with dark violet or black, at least in median region, widely bell-shaped, 3–6 mm in flower, 4–7 mm in fruit, spreading viscid-villous, 40–50% connate, lobes oblong to ovate, apex broadly acute.

usually terminal, sometimes also with short branches in distal axils, occasionally with single involucres in axils, when terminal, usually with main axis and shorter branches and involucres densely clustered at ends of branches;

peduncle 2–7 mm, spreading-villous, usually with short hairs, sometimes viscid, crosswalls of hairs pale or dark;

involucres pale green, sometimes tinged with red, widely bell-shaped, 4–6 mm in flower, 8–12 mm in fruit, glabrate and puberulent on margins to spreading-villous, sometimes viscid, 50–75% connate, lobes triangular-ovate to round-ovate.

3 per involucre;

perianth bright purple-pink, 0.9–1.2 cm.

(2–)3 per involucre;

perianth pink to reddish purple, rarely white, 1 cm.

dark grayish to blackish brown, sometimes dark, dull, reddish brown, narrowly obovoid, 3–4 mm, spreading-pilose, hairs often apearing loosely shaggy and somewhat tufted, (0.1–)0.2–0.3 mm;

ribs ± same color as sulci, low and round, 0.7–1 times width of sulci, 0.5 times as wide as high, slightly rugose or warty;

sulci almost smooth to slightly rugose or with very low tubercules.

reddish brown, brown, or blackish (ribs and warts usually paler), obovoid, 3.5–5.2 mm, pubescent with tufted hairs from tubercles, sometimes pubescent throughout, hairs 0.1–0.3 mm;

ribs round-angular, 0.5–1 times width of sulci, 0.5–1 times as wide as high, rugose, smooth near base and dissected at apex into tall warts, or dissected throughout;

sulci with prominent round or shelflike, narrow tubercles.