Flora of North America species comparison

arising directly from the root, erect to spreading, slender, solid, not fistulose or disarticulating into ringlike segments, sparsely to densely glandular.

glandular distally.

persistent through anthesis or quickly deciduous, essentially basal, rosulate;

petiole indistinct;

blade linear to spatulate, margins entire.

blades spatulate to oblong or oblanceolate, 1–6 × 0.3–1.5 cm, margins ciliate, otherwise glabrous.

terminal, cymose;

branches mostly dichotomous, not brittle or disarticulating into segments, round, glabrous or sparsely glandular;

bracts 3–5, distinct or connate basally, opposite and linear to narrowly triangular, positioned to side of node, 3-lobed and broadly triangular, or forming a perfoliate disk, leaflike to scalelike, awned, occasionally glandular, glabrous to pubescent.

open to densely branched, 0.8–1.7 dm;

bracts at first node 4–5, triangular to lanceolate, 2–10 × 0.5–4(–8) mm, with awn 0.5–1 mm, sparsely glandular, bracts at remaining nodes 3, forming an orbiculate to somewhat triangular perfoliate disk mostly 1–2.5 cm across, glabrous or glandular, with awn 1–3 mm, terminal bracts 0.5–2 × 0.1–0.4 mm, sometimes merely acerose, with awn 0.5–2 mm.

present or absent, erect or deflexed, slender or stout.

erect, stout, 0.3–0.8 mm at proximal nodes, sometimes absent.

1 per node, not ribbed, tubular, narrowly turbinate;

teeth (3–)4, erect to spreading, awn-tipped.

2–5 mm, glabrous or sparsely glandular abaxially;

teeth 4;

awns reddish, 2–3 mm.

2–10 per involucre at any single time during full anthesis;

perianth white to rose or greenish yellow, broadly campanulate when open, narrowly urceolate when closed, glabrous or pubescent abaxially;

tepals 6, connate 1/4–1/3 their length, monomorphic or dimorphic, entire apically;

stamens 9;

filaments basally adnate, glabrous or minutely papillate basally;

anthers cream to pink or red, ellipsoid to oval.

5–10;

perianth white or yellowish green to pink, 1.5–2.5 mm, echinulate and sparsely glandular abaxially;

tepals monomorphic, lanceolate to ovate;

filaments 1–1.5 mm, papillate basally;

anthers pink to red, oval, 0.2–0.5 mm.

usually included, light to dark brown or maroon, not winged, globose-lenticular, glabrous.

dark brown to maroon, 1.5–2 mm.

embryo curved.

= 20.

= 40.