Flora of North America species comparison

usually 1, ascending to erect, uniformly short villoso-strigose, occasionally glabrate proximally.

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 and proximal cauline short-petiolate, blades broadly ovate or elliptic-ovate, margins serrate, ± 3-nerved and pinnately nerved, abaxial faces (at least) evenly short villoso-strigose;

mid and distal cauline like proximal, 20–70 × 10–40 mm (1.3–2 times as long as wide), usually only those near arrays reduced and 1-nerved.

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.

1–6 mm;

bracteoles ovate, minute, grading into phyllaries.

2–10 mm, sparsely to moderately strigose;

bracteoles linear, 1–8.

campanulate, 3–4.5 mm.

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

3–7;

laminae 1.5–2 × 0.5–1 mm.

1–6;

laminae (1.5–)2–3(–4) × ca. 1 mm.

4–7;

corollas (abruptly ampliate) 3–3.5 mm, lobes ca. 1 mm.

3–6(–9);

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

in 3 series, strongly unequal, obtuse or rounded;

mid broadly oblong, inner narrowly so.

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

30–200+, apparently sometimes drooping, in open leafy, secund pyramidal, paniculiform arrays, branches recurved, leafy-bracteate, secund, proximalmost branch sometimes separated by several nodes from next.

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

1.5–2 mm (4–8 translucent ribs), moderately short-strigose;

pappi 2–2.5 mm.

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

pappi 2–3(–3.7) mm.

= 18.