Flora of North America species comparison

inconspicuous, slender, unbranched or branched.

few, imbricate proximally, erect;

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

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.

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

bracteoles 2.

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.

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

0.2–0.4 mm.