Flora of North America species comparison

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.

1–6(–10), erect, short-canescent (hairs ascending to appressed).

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.

basal and proximal cauline tapering to long, winged petioles, blades spatulate-ovate to oblanceolate, 20–95 × 7–15 mm, margins crenate to entire, apices acute, faces densely puberulent;

mid and distal cauline (sometimes subtending axillary tufts of lateral branch leaves) sessile, blades linear-oblanceolate, 16–45 × 3–7 mm, reduced distally, margins entire.

2–10 mm, sparsely to moderately strigose;

bracteoles linear, 1–8.

2–3.5 mm, bracteoles 0–4, linear.

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

narrowly campanulate, 2.6–5.8 mm.

1–6;

laminae (1.5–)2–3(–4) × ca. 1 mm.

5–11;

laminae 2.8–5.5 × 0.3–0.7 mm.

3–6(–9);

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

3–10; 2.5–4.6 mm, lobes 0.4-0.6 mm.

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

in 3 series, ovate to linear-lanceolate, unequal, outer acute, inner obtuse.

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

10–300, secund, in wandlike pyramidal, paniculiform arrays, secund to apically recurved, 8–25 × 2.5–10 cm, sometimes proximal branches elongate, repeating pattern.

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

pappi 2–3(–3.7) mm.

(obconic) 0.5–2 mm, strigose;

pappi 2–4 mm.