Flora of North America species comparison

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

1–5+, erect (straight to distally flexuous, stout 5–11 mm diam., usually reddish purple), usually densely to sparsely hirsute or hispid, glabrescent, often proximally glabrate, sometimes glabrate.

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.

(dark green, not crowded) thin, margins remotely serrate to sometimes entire, scabrous, apices acute or acuminate to subcaudate, mucronate, abaxial faces glabrate, ± densely pilose along midveins, adaxial glabrate to scabrous;

basal withering by flowering, subpetiolate to petiolate (petioles ± winged, bases dilated, sheathing), blades spatulate to oblanceolate or lanceolate, 30–10+ × 3–20+ mm, bases attenuate to cuneate, margins remotely crenate-serrate to denticulate or entire, apices acute or acuminate to rounded;

proximal cauline withering by flowering, petiolate to subpetiolate (petioles widely winged, bases auriculate, clasping), blades lanceolate or oblanceolate to oblong, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, (55–)70–200(–220) × 10–40 mm, usually progressively lengthened to mid, bases ± attenuate to cuneate or auriculate and clasping;

distal sessile, blades oblanceolate or lanceolate to oblong or elliptic-oblong (sometimes nearly panduriform), 8–160 × 1–40 mm, progressively reduced distally, strongly so and linear in arrays, bases ± strongly auriculate, clasping, margins subentire or entire.

sparsely hairy, bracts 0–3, lanceolate.

0.2–3+ cm, ± hispid or hirsute to villous, bracts 0–3, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate to linear, distal often subtending heads.

campanulate, 6–16(–20) mm.

campanulate, (6–)8–12(–15) mm.

15–60;

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

20–50(–60);

corollas usually pale to dark blue, lavender or purple, seldom white or pink, laminae (7–)12–18(–21) × (0.9–)1.4–1.8 mm.

50–150;

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

30–50 (–90);

corollas yellow or cream becoming pink or purple, (4.1–)5–6.5 mm, tubes shorter than cylindro-funnelform limbs, lobes triangular, 0.4–1.1 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 4–6 series, oblanceolate-spatulate to linear, subequal, bases indurate 1/5–1/2, margins not scarious (outer) to narrowly scarious, erose, hyaline, sparsely ciliolate, green zones linear-lanceolate, outer sometimes ± foliaceous, to linear (inner), apices ± spreading at tip when foliaceous, long-acuminate to caudate, mucronate to apiculate, sometimes purplish tinged, faces glabrous or ± hispid.

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

in open, paniculiform (often corymbiform-looking) arrays, branches widely spreading to ascending, sparsely to moderately leafy with ± large leaves.

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

pappi white to tawny, 5–8 mm.

purple or brown (nerves stramineous), oblanceoloid, ± falcate, compressed, (2–)2.5–3.5(–4) mm, 3–4-nerved (nerves prominent), faces glabrous or sparsely strigillose;

pappi white, 3.8–6 mm.