Flora of North America species comparison

1–5, sparsely to moderately strigoso-puberulent.

1–10+, usually blue to purple, glaucous, arching, straight, usually simple, occasionally with 2–3(–4) elongated lateral branches, glabrous or slightly strigose in arrays.

basal petioles 3–5 cm, blades oblanceolate or spatulate to ovate or rotund, 2–4 cm (excluding petioles);

cauline (numerous) subsessile or sessile, blades elliptic or lance-elliptic to ovate, mid mostly 25–50(–65) × 10–25 mm, distal much reduced;

branch leaf petioles 1 mm, blades ovate, 5–15 (excluding petioles) × 2–10 mm.

basal withering by flowering;

proximal to mid cauline sessile, blades lanceolate, (47–)70–100(–150) × 8–20(–30) mm, margins serrate (with 0–24 teeth per side), apices acuminate, faces abaxially glabrous or sparsely hairy, adaxially sparsely hairy;

distal sessile, blades narrowly lanceolate, (20–)40–70(–100) × (3.4–)5.6–11(–17) mm, margins entire to slightly serrate, faces glabrous or sparsely hairy.

linear, 1–3 mm, bracteate.

2–10 mm, sparsely to moderately strigose;

bracteoles linear, 1–8.

narrowly campanulate, 3–5 mm.

narrowly campanulate, (3.5–)4.8–6(–7.2) mm.

0(–2).

1–6;

laminae (1.5–)2–3(–4) × ca. 1 mm.

4–8;

corollas 3 mm, lobes 1 mm.

3–6(–9);

corollas 2–3(–4) mm, lobes (0.5–)1–1.5(–2) mm.

in 3–4 series, lanceolate, strongly unequal, margins ciliate, apices acute, glabrous.

in ca. 3 series, unequal, outermost lanceolate (1–1.7 mm), acute, innermost linear-oblong (2.3–4 mm), 1-nerved, obtuse to acute.

75–200 in open paniculiform arrays, branches divaricate, ascending to recurved, weakly to strongly secund, to 50 cm, secondary branches less than 3 cm.

9–380, in short, secund, axillary and terminal racemo-paniculiform clusters (4.4–)13–36(–58) cm.

2.5–3 mm, moderately short-strigose;

pappi 2 mm.

1–2(–2.5) mm, moderately to densely strigose;

pappi 2–3(–3.7) mm.

= 18.