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, green or flushed with red on proximal parts, sometimes inflorescence axis red, unbranched or with side branches obliquely arising from rosette or stem, 30–200 cm.

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 10–30 × 2–5 cm, cauline 5–22 ×(1–)1.5–5(–6) cm;

blade usually green to pale green, narrowly oblanceolate to oblanceolate, sometimes narrowly elliptic to elliptic distally, margins usually flat, rarely undulate, bluntly dentate, teeth widely spaced, sometimes sinuate-dentate proximally or lobed;

bracts persistent.

erect, unbranched or with secondary branches just proximal to main one, internodes in fruit usually shorter than capsule.

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, 3.5–6 mm diam., with free tips terminal, erect or spreading, 1.5–3 mm;

floral tube (20–)25–40 mm;

sepals yellowish green, rarely flushed with red or red-striped, 12–22(–28) mm;

petals yellow to pale yellow, fading yellowish white and somewhat translucent, very broadly obcordate, 12–25(–30) mm;

filaments 8–15(–20) mm, anthers 3–6(–9) mm, pollen 50% fertile;

style 30–55 mm, stigma surrounded by 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.

erect or slightly spreading, dull green when dry, lanceoloid, 20–40 × 4–6 mm, free tips of valves 0.8–1.5 mm.

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

1–1.2 × 0.6–1.1 mm.

= 14.