Flora of North America species comparison

arising directly from the root, erect to spreading, solid, not fistulose or disarticulating into ringlike segments, sparsely glandular-pubescent.

usually quickly deciduous, basal, rosulate;

petiole absent;

blade spatulate to obovate, margins entire.

petiole inconspicuous;

blade spatulate, (1–)2–5 × (0.2–)0.3–1.2(–2) cm.

terminal, cymose, uniparous due to suppression of secondaries;

branches dichotomous, not brittle or disarticulating into segments, round, sparsely glandular-pubescent;

bracts 3(–5), positioned to side of node or perfoliate and completely but unequally surrounding node, connate nearly completely, triangular to ovate or oblong, awned, sparsely glandular-pubescent.

absent.

1–3 per node, tubular, cylindric, (2–)3–4-angled, slightly ventricose on the angles in some;

teeth (2–)3–4, awn-tipped.

1, 4-angled, distinctly ribbed and usually corrugate, often strongly ventricose, 3–5(–6) mm;

teeth 4, spreading to strongly divergent, glandular or strongly hirsute;

awns straight, (0.3–)0.5–1.2 mm.

1(–2) per involucre;

perianth white to pink, campanulate when open, cylindric when closed, pubescent abaxially;

tepals 6, connate ca. 1/3 their length, monomorphic, entire or erose to fimbriate apically;

stamens 6–9;

filaments free, glabrous;

anthers pink to red, oblong.

1;

perianth 1.5–3(–3.5) mm, pubescent abaxially;

tepals narrowly oblanceolate, erose or fimbriate apically, infrequently entire or 2-lobed;

stamens 9;

filaments 1–2.5(–3) mm;

anthers 0.5–0.8(–0.9) mm.

mostly included, brown to black, not winged, globose-lenticular, glabrous.

2–3 mm.

embryo straight.

-escences: bracts 3, spreading to nearly erect, perfoliate, becoming 1-sided and weakly perfoliate apically, connate for nearly their entire length, orbiculate, 0.5–1(–2) cm, apex acute to obtuse;

awns 0.3–1.2(–1.5) mm.

= 19.

= 38, 40.