Flora of North America species comparison

inconspicuous, slender or stout, unbranched or few-branched.

inconspicuous, slender, unbranched or branched.

relatively few, loosely imbricate or more remote, loosely ascending to spreading;

blade oblong-lanceolate to awl-shaped, 2–10 mm, margins entire, often inrolled, apex acuminate, surfaces glabrous.

few, imbricate proximally, erect;

blade narrowly to broadly ovate, 5–7 mm, margins entire, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces glabrous.

of solitary flowers or fascicles of 2(–4) at stem or branch tips, white to cream, sometimes purple tinged, simple, glabrous;

bracts loosely ascending and erect, oblanceolate to broadly ovate, obovate, rhombic, or awl-shaped, 5–12 mm, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous, rarely glandular-pubescent distally.

spikelike racemes, creamy white proximally, dark purple distally, simple, densely glandular-pubescent, sometimes also sparsely pilose proximally (subsp. howellii);

flowers numerous;

bracts ascending to recurved, narrowly lanceolate-acuminate to lanceolate-subulate, 5–10 mm, apex acuminate, densely glandular-pubescent.

(8–)20–110(–170) mm, much longer than plant axis;

bracteoles 0.

0–5 mm (to 10 mm proximally), much shorter than plant axis;

bracteoles 2.

calyx white to straw colored or light yellow, or pale to dark, dull purple, sometimes brownish, ± radially symmetric, 4–12(–15) mm, divided into 5 subequal lobes, lobes slightly shorter than to 2 times as long as tube, ± triangular or subulate-triangular, sparsely to moderately glandular-pubescent;

corolla (11–)15–30(–35) mm, tube white to purple, blue, or yellow, sometimes lighter proximally or with light or darker purple or blue veins, slightly to moderately constricted above ovary, ± bent forward, glandular-pubescent;

palatal folds ± prominent, bright yellow, glandular- and/or eglandular-pubescent, sometimes glabrescent;

lips white, yellow, purple, or blue, sometimes with light or darker purple or blue veins, abaxial lip slightly to moderately spreading, sometimes ± recurved distally, (1–)2–6(–9) mm, lobes oblong-obovate to nearly round, apex rounded to bluntly pointed or shallowly emarginate (sometimes with 2 notches), adaxial lip slightly to moderately spreading, sometimes recurved, 2–6(–9) mm, lobes broadly oblong-ovate to oblong-semiorbiculate, apex rounded, rarely bluntly pointed or shallowly emarginate;

filaments glabrous, anthers included, glabrous or villous-tomentose.

calyx dark purple externally, weakly bilaterally symmetric, (4–)6–10(–11) mm, deeply divided into 5 lobes, lobes linear-subulate, densely glandular-pubescent;

corolla 12–16(–18) mm, tube dark purple, sometimes yellow to white abaxially, constricted above ovary, bent forward, glandular-pubescent;

palatal folds prominent, pale yellow to white, glabrous or puberulent;

lips dark purple, abaxial lip usually white to pale lavender with purple veins, abaxial lip spreading abruptly from base, 4–5 mm, lobes narrowly oblong to oblong-triangular, apex acute or bluntly pointed, adaxial lip erect or reflexed distally, 3–5 mm, lobes triangular, apex acute;

filaments glabrous or with a few hairs at base, anthers included, glabrous or pilose.

ovoid to oblong-ovoid, 4–8(–11) mm.

narrowly ovoid to oblong-ovoid, 6–9 mm.

0.1–0.4 mm.

0.2–0.4 mm.