Flora of North America species comparison

1–3+, ascending to erect (grayish brown to brown), sparsely to densely hispido-strigose, sometimes glabrescent proximally.

1–6, ascending to erect, glabrous or puberulent, especially distally.

usually all except rameal withered by flowering, (light grayish green) firm apices ± white-spine-tipped (often with clusters of smaller leaves in axils);

basal sessile, blades (3-nerved) oblanceolate to oblong or spatulate, 10–50 × 10–25 mm, bases attenuate, margins usually entire, rarely remotely serrate, scabrous, apices rounded to obtuse, faces usually sparsely hairy, often glabrous;

proximal cauline sessile, blades (1- or 3-nerved) linear to lanceolate or oblong, 10–40(–60) × 1.5–4(–7) mm, reduced distally, bases cuneate, coarsely ciliate, margins entire, coarsely ciliate, apices acute or obtuse, faces moderately to densely strigose or hirsute;

distal sessile, blades oblong-ovate, 10–40 × 1.5–3.5 mm, abruptly reduced distally, bases cuneate, margins entire, apices acute, faces moderately to densely strigose.

thin, margins entire, apices acute, faces glabrous or scabridulous;

basal withering by flowering, petiolate, blades narrowly oblanceolate to linear, 10–60 × 2–10 mm, attenuate, margins entire;

proximalmost cauline sometimes withering by flowering, sessile, blades linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 30–80 × 2–8 mm, bases cuneate, apices acute;

distal sessile, blades linear, 10–50 × 2–8 mm, bases ± cuneate, truncate.

0.5–1(–2) cm or subsessile, densely hairy, bracts dense, linear to narrowly lanceolate, usually reflexed, sometime appressed to ascending, 1.5–5(–6) mm, densely hairy, grading into phyllaries.

sparsely to densely hairy, bracts 3–10, linear to narrowly elliptic, much smaller than distal leaves.

cylindric to campanulate, 2.5–4.5(–5) mm.

campanulate, 4–7 mm.

(8–)10–18(–20);

corollas usually white, rarely pink or bluish, laminae 6–12(–20) × 0.7–1.2 mm.

14–35;

corollas usually white, sometimes pale violet, laminae 7–12 × 1–2 mm.

6–12(–20);

corollas yellow becoming brown, 2.5–4 mm, throats narrowly funnelform, lobes triangular, 0.5–0.6 mm, glabrous.

20–35;

corollas yellow, 4.5–6.5 mm, lobes triangular, 0.7–1 mm, glabrous.

in 3–4 series, oblanceolate to ± spatulate, unequal, firm, bases (whitish to tan) ± indurate in proximal 1/2–2/3, margins hyaline, scabrous proximally, green zones diamond-shaped, in distal 1/2, apices spine-tipped, (outer) spreading to reflexed or squarrose, faces (outer) sparsely to densely hispid, scabroso-hirsute adaxially, (inner) glabrous.

in 5–6 series, appressed, narrowly oblanceolate (outer) to linear (inner), unequal, bases (outer) herbaceous or scarious less than 1/2, margins entire, green zones ovate to linear (inner), apices obtuse, faces glabrous.

(1–200+) in paniculiform arrays, branches fastigiate or arrays often pyramidal, racemiform, secund, crowded.

in racemiforn to paniculiform arrays, branches usually less than 10(–20) cm.

deep purple turning brown, obovoid to oblong-obovoid, ± falcate, not compressed, 1.2–2 × 0.4–0.6 mm, 7–9-nerved (faint), faces sericeous or densely strigillose;

pappi whitish, 3–4 mm.

brown, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 2–2.5 mm, 2–5-nerved, faces hairy;

pappi white, 5–7 mm.

= 16, 32, 48.