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, usually branched several cm belowground or near base, sometimes also branched distally, 25–100 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 1–6.5(–13) × 0.4–1.5 cm, blade narrowly oblanceolate;

cauline 0.5–3(–6.5) × 0.1–1.1 cm, blade very narrowly elliptic, narrowly lanceolate, or linear, margins sinuate-dentate to subentire.

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.

4-merous, slightly zygomorphic, opening near sunset;

floral tube 3–8.5 mm;

sepals 3–9 mm;

petals white, fading pink to red, slightly unequal, elliptic-obovate, 4–10 mm, clawed;

filaments 2–4.5 mm, anthers 2–4 mm, pollen 85–100% fertile;

style 6.5–15 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.

erect, sometimes reflexed in age, fusiform, sometimes slightly narrowed in proximal 1/3, 5.5–13 × 1–2.5 mm, valves with inconspicuous raised midrib;

sessile.

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

(1 or)2–4, yellowish or light brown, 1.5–2.5 × 0.8–1.3 mm.

= 14.