Flora of North America species comparison

decumbent, branched, bearing terminal rosettes.

trailing (nonflowering shoots ascending at tip), laxly branched, not bearing rosettes.

erect, branched, 10–43 cm;

leaf blades linear, base with scarious spurs;

offsets rosettes, produced from axils of leaves and bracts.

erect, usually simple, 5–10(–15) cm;

leaf blades triangular-ovate, base short-spurred;

offsets not formed.

alternate, spreading to erect, sessile;

blade green, not glaucous, linear to elliptic-oblong (subulate when dry), subterete, 4.3–13.8 × 1.4–2.7 mm, base (persistent), spurred (spur simple, small), scarious, apex acute, (surfaces sometimes papillose marginally).

(usually deciduous, if persistent, then blade white, soft, papery), alternate, (densely imbricate), spreading, sessile;

blade yellow-green, not glaucous, triangular-ovate, terete to semiterete (elliptic in cross section), (2–)5(–8) × 1–4 mm, base obtusely short-spurred, not scarious, apex obtuse.

solitary flowers or cymes, 9–15(–25)-flowered, mostly 3-branched;

branches slightly recurved, not forked;

bracts linear-lanceolate, smaller than leaves, base spurred.

cymes, 2–12-flowered or flowers solitary, monochasially (1–)2(–3)-branched;

branches not recurved, rarely forked;

bracts similar to leaves, smaller.

absent or to 0.5 mm.

absent or to 1 mm.

5-merous;

sepals erect, distinct, pale green or yellow-green, lanceolate or ovate, equal, 2–3.7 × 0.9–1.7 mm, apex acute or long-acuminate;

petals stellately spreading, distinct, deep yellow with green to brown dorsal keel to almost white, lanceolate or elliptic, slightly carinate, 5.4–8 mm, apex obtuse, acute, or long-acuminate, sometimes with aristate appendage;

filaments yellow;

anthers yellow;

nectar scales greenish yellow or yellowish white, reniform-subquadrate or square.

5-merous;

sepals erect to spreading, distinct basally, green, oblong-ovate, unequal, 2–3 × 1.3–2.3, mm, apex obtuse;

petals spreading, distinct, bright yellow, oblong-ovate to lanceolate, not carinate, 5–9 mm, apex acute to acuminate;

filaments yellow;

anthers yellow, (oblong);

nectar scales yellowish green, square.

divergent in fruit, shortly connate, pale green, yellow-green, or brown.

stellately patent in fruit, distinct, yellowish.

= 50–54, 58, 62–70, 63–64.

= 40, 60, 80, 100, 120.