Flora of North America species comparison

erect to ascending, usually unbranched, or with arcuate lateral branches arising from rosette, 15–40(–60) cm.

in a basal rosette and cauline, basal 6–10 × 1–2.5 cm, cauline 3–7.5 × 0.8–2 cm;

blade usually grayish green, narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, margins deeply lobed, lobes usually dentate;

bracts distalmost erect, revolute.

usually 1 opening per day near sunset;

buds erect, with free tips erect or appressed, 0.5–2.5 mm;

floral tube 23–28 mm;

sepals 5–12 mm;

petals yellow, fading orange, broadly obovate or shallowly obcordate, 6–15 mm;

filaments 4–12 mm, anthers 3–4 mm, pollen 85–100% fertile;

style 27–40 mm, stigma surrounded by anthers at anthesis.

cylindrical, sometimes slightly enlarged toward apex, 25–45 × 2.5–3 mm.

ellipsoid to subglobose, 0.8–1.2 × 0.3–0.5 mm.

thalassaphila (Brandegee) W.

& W.

.

differs from subsp. drummondii in a number of modally distinctive morphological features, especially floral tubes 2–3.5 cm, sepal tips 0.3–1 mm, capsules 2–4 cm × 2.5–5 mm in diameter and those, coupled with the great disjunction from the Atlantic coast of the United States and Mexico to the southern tip of Baja California, make it worthy of recognition.

drummondii is self-compatible and outcrossing.

= 14.