Flora of North America species comparison

1–5+, erect (straight, stout), glabrate or glabrescent, sparsely pilose, or hirsuto-pilose proximally, ± densely so distally.

1, erect (straight, often reddish), glabrous.

(abaxially pale or grayish green, adaxially dark green) initially ± firm or membranous, becoming thicker, margins crenate-serrate to serrate, strigoso-ciliate to scabrous, apices acuminate to acute, mucronate, abaxial faces scabrous to densely piloso-strigose, more so on veins, adaxial scabrous to glabrate;

basal withering by flowering, long-petiolate (petioles narrowly winged, sheathing, sometimes ciliate), blades ovate to ovate-oblong or -lanceolate to elliptic or suborbiculate, 10–85(–100) × 8–60 mm, bases deeply cordate to rounded or abruptly attenuate, margins crenate-serrate, apices usually rounded to obtuse, rarely acute;

proximal cauline often withering by flowering, long-petiolate (petioles narrowly winged, more broadly so distally, ciliate), blades ovate or ovate-lanceolate, (25–)50–120(–150) × (15–)20–50(–65) mm, progressively to slightly reduced distally, bases deeply to shallowly cordate or rounded, margins crenate-serrate to sharply serrate;

distal petiolate or subpetiolate or sessile, petioles broadly winged, blades ovate to ovate- or oblong-lanceolate, to oblong-elliptic or linear-lanceolate (4–)5–110 × 1–50 mm, reduced distally (sharply so on array branches in var. texanum), bases shallowly cordate or rounded to attenuate or cuneate (distally), margins crenate-serrate or -serrulate or entire.

coriaceous, margins remotely serrulate or entire, slightly revolute, scabrous, apices mucronulate, faces glabrous;

basal withering by flowering, long-petiolate (petioles narrowly winged, bases sheathing), blades lanceolate to oblanceolate, ca. 55+ × 3+ mm, bases slightly attenuate, apices acute;

proximal cauline mostly withering by flowering, petiolate (petioles narrowly winged, sheathing), blades lanceolate or oblanceolate to linear-lanceolate or -oblanceolate, arcuate, 90–160 × 5–18 mm, bases cuneate to slightly attenuate, margins entire or serrulate, apices acute;

distal sessile, blades linear to linear-lanceolate, 8–50 × 1.5–5 mm, progressively reduced distally, more strongly so in arrays, bases cuneate to rounded, sometimes slightly clasping, apices acute to acuminate.

0, or 0.2–1.5(–4) cm, densely ascending- or appressed-bracteate, pilosulous, bracts 4–17+, lanceolate or subulate to linear-oblanceolate, distally grading into phyllaries, pilosulous or strigoso-ciliate.

0.8–5.7 cm, slender, sparsely ot moderately pilosulous, bracts 3–5, linear-lanceolate, often crowded proximal to and surpassing heads.

campanulate, (3.5–)4.5–6(–6.5) mm.

campanulate, 6–10 mm.

(8–)10–15(—20);

corollas usually bright blue to purple or lavender, sometimes white, laminae (5–)7–10(–12) × 1–1.8 mm.

25–44;

corollas usually pale purple or lilac, sometimes white, laminae 9.5–20 × 0.7–1.4 mm.

(10–)13–15(–22);

corollas cream to yellow, becoming deep purple or reddish purple, 3.5–4.5(–5) mm, tubes shorter than funnelform to cylindric throats, lobes triangular to lanceolate, 0.4–0.7 mm.

29–52;

corollas yellow becoming reddish purple, 5–6 mm, tubes slightly shorter than funnelform throats, lobes lanceolate, 0.6–0.7 mm.

in 4–5 series, subulate or lanceolate (outermost) to narrowly oblong-lanceolate, unequal, bases indurate 1/4–3/4, margins narrowly scarious proximally, hyaline, ciliate, bodies sometimes green to margins distally, green zones lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, apices acute to acuminate or long-acuminate, tips often purple, sometimes involute, mucronulate, faces glabrous.

in 2–3 series, oblong-oblanceolate or -spatulate (outer) or oblong-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or linear (inner), ± unequal, bases indurate 1/3–3/4, margins hyaline, scarious, erose distally, sparsely ciliolate distally, green zones lanceolate, outer often foliaceous distally, apices acute to long-acuminate, ± spreading, faces glabrous.

in open, paniculiform arrays, branches ascending to divaricate, often densely racemiform or ± paniculiform (lateral ones open, racemiform) to subsecund, ± stiff to lax, long to relatively short, ± closely to ± remotely leafy, branch leaves progressively or ± abruptly reduced distally.

in elongate, loosely racemiform arrays, branches ascending, heads single at ends of primary branches or long pedicels.

dull purple or brown to tan (ribs tan to stramineous), obovoid, ± compressed, (1.5–)2–3 mm, 5–6-nerved, faces glabrate to sparsely strigillose distally;

pappi cream to rose-tinged, 3–4 mm.

reddish tan, obovoid, compressed, 1.5–2.8 mm, 4–5-nerved, faces strigillose;

pappi yellowish, 7–8 mm.

= 80.