Flora of North America species comparison

decumbent, branched, bearing terminal rosettes.

erect or decumbent, simple or 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, simple or branched, 2.5–11 cm;

leaf blades lanceolate-elliptic or oblong, 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).

alternate, widely divergent, sessile;

blade pale or bluish green, not glaucous, narrowly lanceolate-elliptic or oblong, subterete to, rarely, globular, 3–6 × 1.5–2 mm, base 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, 20–60(–100)-flowered, 1–3-branched;

branches ± erect to spreading, sometimes slightly recurved, usually not forked, sometimes 1–2-forked;

bracts similar to leaves.

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, distinct, yellow-green, lanceolate or lanceolate-oblong, unequal, 0.6–3 × 0.4–1.5 mm, (base short-spurred), apex acute;

petals spreading, distinct, yellow, elliptic-oblong, slightly cucullate, 2–4 mm, apex mucronate;

filaments yellow;

anthers yellow;

nectar scales yellow or translucent, stipitate-reniform, subquadrate, or obovate.

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

widely spreading in fruit, connate basally, straw-yellow.

= 50–54, 58, 62–70, 63–64.

= 20.