Flora of North America species comparison

decumbent, branched, bearing terminal rosettes.

erect, pendulous, or prostrate, much-branched, not bearing basal rosettes.

erect, branched, 10–43 cm;

leaf blades linear, base with scarious spurs;

offsets rosettes, produced from axils of leaves and bracts.

(axillary), ascending, usually simple, sometimes branched, 10–50 cm;

leaf blades elliptic-oblanceolate, base not 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, spreading, sessile;

blade green tinged with red, not glaucous, elliptic-oblanceolate, laminar, 40–80 × 13–25 mm, base not spurred, not scarious, apex rounded.

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

branches slightly recurved, not forked;

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

elongated paniculate cymes, 50–300+-flowered, 3–25-branched;

branches not recurved, 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.

(4–)5(–6)-merous;

sepals erect, usually distinct, green, ovate, lanceolate, or elliptic-oblong, unequal, 1.5–9.6 × 1–3.2 mm, apex obtuse;

petals widely spreading, distinct or slightly connate basally, yellow, lanceolate, carinate, ca. 7.5 mm, apex acute or obtuse, mucronate;

filaments yellow;

anthers yellow;

nectar scales yellowish or translucent, subquadrate or reniform.

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

widely divergent in fruit, distinct, brown.

= 50–54, 58, 62–70, 63–64.

= 68.