Flora of North America species comparison

central stem usually erect, usually thickened at base and spongy, branched or unbranched, branches few–several, slender, decumbent to ascending, from base, usually encircling central stem in older plants, 10–40(–100) cm.

erect to ascending, green or red, unbranched or with branches obliquely arising from rosette or in distal 1/2 of main stem.

in a basal rosette and cauline, rosette usually well developed (except subsp. howellii), basal 5–25 × 1–5 cm, cauline 4–12(–18) × 0.5–4 cm;

petiole 1.5–8 cm;

blade rhombic-obovate, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, margins subentire, dentate, or pinnatifid.

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 7–25 × 0.7–2 cm, cauline 6–13 × 0.4–1 cm;

blade dark green, somewhat glossy, very narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, linear-elliptic, lanceolate, or nearly linear, margins flat, entire or remotely and bluntly dentate, sometimes with larger teeth near base;

bracts persistent.

curved with ascending tip, unbranched.

1–several opening per day near sunset;

buds nodding, weakly or strongly quadrangular or fluted in distal 1/2, with free tips 0–9 mm;

floral tube 20–40 mm;

sepals (13–)15–35 mm, not spotted;

petals white, fading pink to deep pink, broadly obovate or obcordate, 15–44 mm;

filaments 8–15 mm, anthers 5–14 mm;

style 35–60 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

opening near sunset;

buds erect, 4–8 mm diam., with free tips subterminal, divergent and hornlike, 3–9 mm;

floral tube 32–52 mm;

sepals yellowish green to yellow, sometimes flushed with red, especially at apex, 27–38 mm;

petals yellow to pale yellow, fading pale yellow to pale yellowish orange, very broadly obcordate or obovate, 25–42 mm;

filaments 20–27 mm, anthers 9–13 mm, pollen 90–100% fertile;

style 60–85 mm, stigma exserted beyond anthers at anthesis.

spreading, straight to curved, becoming somewhat woody in age, cylindrical to slightly 4-angled, widest toward base, tapering from base to apex, (15–)30–80 × 1.5–5 mm;

sessile.

spreading at nearly a right angle to stem, curved upward, sometimes secund, dull green or rusty brown when dry, narrowly lanceoloid to lanceoloid, 20–40 × 4–6 mm, free tips of valves 1–2 mm.

numerous, in 1 row per locule, buff with dark spots or black, narrowly obovoid, 1.5–2.8 mm.

1.3–1.9 × 0.7–1.1 mm.

= 14.