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, red on proximal parts, green on distal ones, rarely red throughout, unbranched or with branches obliquely arising from rosette and secondary branches arising from main 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 10–32 × 3–7 cm, cauline 6–20 × 2–8 cm;

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

bracts caducous.

erect, unbranched or with secondary branches just proximal to main one.

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, 4–6 mm diam., with free tips terminal, erect, 1.5–6 mm;

floral tube 30–43 mm;

sepals yellowish green or flushed with red, 10–23 mm;

petals yellow to pale yellow, fading pale yellowish white, very broadly obcordate, 14–25(–30) mm;

filaments 10–25 mm, anthers 4–10 mm, pollen ca. 50% fertile;

style 35–63 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, narrowly lanceoloid to narrowly ovoid, 12–36 × 3–6 mm, free tips of valves 1–1.5 mm.

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

1–1.9 × 0.6–0.9 mm.

= 14.