Flora of North America species comparison

1–5+, ascending to erect, glabrous or sparsely puberulent.

1–10+, ascending to erect (light to dark brown), glabrous or densely canescent distally.

thin, margins entire or sometimes serrate, apices acute to obtuse, faces usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely hairy;

basal usually persistent, petiolate to subpetiolate, blades broadly elliptic to obovate, 30–200 × 8–25(–30) mm, bases attenuate, margins entire or sometimes serrate, apices acute to obtuse;

proximal cauline sessile or subpetiolate, blades elliptic to obovate, 35–120 × 8–25 mm, bases attenuate or cuneate to rounded, sometimes ± clasping, apices acute;

distal sessile, reduced distally, bases cuneate, apices acute.

(green to graysih) soft to firm;

basal withering by flowering, sessile, blades (1–3-nerved) elliptic-lanceolate, 10–43 × 5–15 mm, bases attenuate, margins usually entire, rarely remotely serrate, piloso-ciliate, apices acute to obtuse, faces silvery silky-pilose to sparsely pilose;

proximal cauline withering by flowering, sessile, blades oblanceolate, 20–35 × 5–15 mm, bases rounded, subclasping, margins entire, scabrous to silky-pilose, apices acute to obtuse, cuspidate mucronate, faces ± densely silky;

distal sessile, blades usually oblong to lanceolate, rarely ovate, 9–15 × 1.8–5 mm, reduced distally, bases cuneate, margins entire, apices acute, mucronate, faces ± densely silky or sparsely strigose, sometimes glabrate (var. devestitum).

sparsely hairy, bracts 0–3, lanceolate.

densely hairy, bracts becoming linear, grading into phyllaries.

campanulate, 6–16(–20) mm.

campanulate to narrowly campanulate, 5–7 mm.

15–60;

corollas violet to purple, laminae 8–18(–20) × 1–2 mm.

8–12;

corollas rose-purple, rarely white, laminae 4–9 × 1–1.5 mm.

50–150;

corollas yellow, 4–7 mm, lobes triangular, 0.4–1 mm.

(9–)11–17(–21);

corollas pink turning purple, 4.5–6 mm, tubes shorter than narrowly funnelform throats (thinly puberulent), lobes triangular, 0.4–0.7 mm.

in 4–6 series, oblanceolate or oblong (outer) to lanceolate or linear (inner), subequal or unequal (outer exceeding inner), bases outer foliaceous, inner indurate, margins entire, green zones elliptic to lanceolate, apices acute to rounded, faces glabrous or puberulent.

in 3–5 series, appressed, lanceolate-oblong, strongly unequal, bases (tan) ± indurate, margins scarious proximally, green distally, green zones restricted to apex, obscured by hair, apices usually acute, sometimes acuminate, usually mucronate, sometimes subspinulose, faces ± densely silky.

borne singly or in paniculiform arrays, branches ascending, up to 25 cm.

in narrow, paniculiform (virgate) arrays (1–3(–5) per branch).

brown, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 2.5–4 mm, 3–4-nerved, faces hairy;

pappi white to tawny, 5–8 mm.

obovoid, not compressed, 2.5–3.5 mm, 7–10-nerved, faces densely strigose;

pappi tan, (3.5–)4–6 mm.