Flora of North America species comparison

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

1–10+, ascending to erect or decumbent, light to dark brown, proximally glabrous, distally hispiduloso-hirsute or hirtellous, stipitate-glandular.

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.

(yellowish to dark green) thin, margins entire;

basal sometimes persistent, sessile, blades (3-nerved) oblanceolate to spatulate, 20–50(–70) × 5–15 mm, margins entire (remotely serrate), coarsely ciliate, apices rounded, short-mucronate, faces usually hirsute, rarely glabrous, often also stipitate-glandular;

proximal cauline sessile (often with clusters of smaller leaves in axils), blades oblong or linear-lanceolate, (15–)30–100 × 5–15(–20) mm, bases rounded or slightly clasping, margins scabrellous, apices acute to obtuse, spinulose-mucronate, abaxial faces scabrous, often stipitate-glandular, adaxial hirsute;

distal sessile, blades lanceolate to oblong, 20–80 × 2–10(–20) mm, greatly reduced distally, bases cuneate to subclasping, margins ciliate, stipitate-glandular, apices acute to obtuse, white-mucronate, faces moderately strigose, moderately to densely stipitate-glandular.

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.

0.5–5 cm, hispid, stipitate-glandular, bracts dense, spreading or squarrose (rarely ascending), linear to narrowly oblong, 3–8 mm, grading into phyllaries, spinulose, short-strigose.

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

campanulate, (5–)7–9 mm.

(8–)10–18(–20);

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

(10–)25–35;

corollas light to dark rose-purple, lavender to deep purple, laminae 9–13(–15) × 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.

(25–)30–40(–50);

corollas yellow turning brown or reddish purple, 4.5–5.5(–6) mm, tubes 1/2 the funnelform to nearly tubular throats, lobes triangular, 0.4–0.7 mm.

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 4–5(–6) series, outer oblanceolate, mid linear-lanceolate, inner linear, usually unequal, sometimes subequal, bases ± indurate, margins hyaline, scarious, erose, ciliate or ciliolate and/or stipitate-glandular, green zones often broadly foliaceous (outer), green in distal 1/3–1/2 (mid), apices spreading to reflexed (outer), acute, mid long-acuminate, faces moderately hairy, stipitate-glandular.

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

in ample, corymbiform to diffusely paniculiform arrays, branches initially patent, then ascending (often from proximal nodes).

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.

dull purple or brown (nerves stramineous), obovoid, slightly falcate, not compressed, 2–2.5 mm, 7–10-nerved, faces sparsely strigillose or sericeous;

pappi tawny (barb tips sometimes rose-tinged), 3.5–6 mm.

= 10, 20.