Flora of North America species comparison

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

usually inconspicuous, slender, branched or unbranched.

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.

numerous, erect;

blade broadly triangular proximally, grading to lanceolate distally, 7–10 mm, margins entire, apex obtuse, acute on distal leaves, 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.

racemes, sometimes spikelike, pink, lavender, or yellow, sometimes branched, glandular-puberulent;

flowers numerous;

bracts usually reflexed toward tips, narrowly triangular to lanceolate-linear or subulate, 5–10 mm, apex attenuate, glandular-puberulent.

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

bracteoles 0.

5–25 mm, 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 pale or pinkish tinged, ± radially symmetric, (6–)9–15(–20) mm, deeply divided into 5 lobes, lobes narrowly subulate, glandular-puberulent;

corolla 17–28(–33) mm, tube white to pale yellow or pale pink, slightly constricted above ovary, straight or slightly bent forward, sparsely glandular-pubescent or glabrate;

palatal folds prominent, yellow, glabrous;

lips white to pale pink, often with darker pink veins, abaxial lip usually widely spreading, 5–9(–10) mm, lobes narrowly oblong-triangular to lanceolate, apex acute, adaxial lip usually widely spreading, 5–9(–10) mm, lobes triangular or triangular-ovate, apex acute;

filaments glabrous, anthers included, glabrous or ± villous along sutures.

ovoid to oblong-ovoid, 4–8(–11) mm.

ovoid to cylindric-ovoid, 10–13 mm.

0.1–0.4 mm.

0.4–0.5 mm.