Flora of North America species comparison

1–5+, erect (straight, glaucous, sometimes reddish proximally), glabrous, sometimes sparsely hirsute distally.

1–5+, erect (stout, brown), proximally ± hispid, distally sparsely strigose, distally stipitate-glandular.

(glaucous) thick, firm, ± fleshy, margins crenate-serrate or -serrulate or entire, scabridulous, apices mucronulate, faces glabrous;

basal usually withering by flowering or sometimes persistent (var. purpuratum), petiolate (petioles ± winged, bases dilated, sheathing), blades spatulate or oblong to ovate or lanceolate-ovate, 30–200 × 10–25(–30) mm, bases attenuate or cuneate to rounded, margins crenate-serrate to serrulate, apices acute to obtuse or rounded;

proximal cauline often withering by flowering, petiolate or subsessile or sessile (petioles narrowly to broadly winged, clasping), blades ovate or oblong-ovate to lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, sometimes ± panduriform, (40–)80–150(–180) × (10–)20–45 mm, bases attenuate to rounded or ± shallowly auriculate-clasping, margins entire or shallowly crenate-serrate, minutely scabrous, apices acute or obtuse, callus-pointed;

distal sessile, blades lance-ovate or lanceolate to linear, 7–45 × 1–14 mm, progressively reduced distally (abruptly so in arrays), bases auriculate and ± clasping to rounded, margins entire.

stiff (dark green), greatly reduced distally, margins entire, scabrous;

basal early deciduous, sessile, blades (3-nerved) oblanceolate, 40–80 × 4–12 mm, bases attenuate, apices obtuse to acute, faces sparsely scabrous;

proximal cauline usually withered by flowering, sessile, blades oblanceolate to lanceolate-oblong, 20–60 × 5–20 mm, bases cordate-clasping, apices acute, mucronulate, faces glabrate to sparsely scabrous, stipitate-glandular;

distal sessile, blades lanceolate to oblong, 20–40 × 5–8 mm, bases cuneate, apices acute, mucronulate to white-spinulose, faces glabrous or scabrous, sparsely stipitate-glandular.

0.2–6+ cm, glaucous, glabrous or puberulent in lines, bracts 3–6, densely spaced, subulate or linear-lanceolate to linear, subclasping, apices sometimes purplish, grading into phyllaries.

3–5 cm, short-strigose, stipitate-glandular, bracts spreading to reflexed, lanceolate-oblong, 5–10 mm, little reduced distally, grading into phyllaries.

campanulate to cylindro-campanulate, (4.2–)5–7(–8) mm.

campanulate, 8.5–12 mm.

(11–)13–23(–34);

corollas usually pale to dark blue or purple, seldom white, laminae (6–)7.2–11.3(–14.6) × 1.5–2.5 mm.

14–35;

corollas light to reddish purple, laminae 11–15(–20) × 1.5–2.5 mm.

(17–)19–33(–43);

corollas yellow turning purplish red, 3.5–6.1 mm, tubes slightly shorter than funnelform throats, lobes triangular, (0.4–)0.6–1 mm.

25–35;

corollas yellow becoming reddish purple, 5.5–8 mm, lobes narrowly triangular, 0.7–1 mm.

in 4–6 series, appressed, subulate or lanceolate (outer) to oblong-lanceolate or linear-lancolate or -oblanceolate, unequal (sometimes appearing subequal), bases indurate 1/2–3/4, margins scarious, erose, hyaline, ciliolate distally, green zones mostly diamond-shaped to ± lanceolate (some inner, or most in var. geyeri), apices acute to acuminate, sometimes ± obtuse, red-mucronate or apiculate, faces glabrous.

in 3–4 series, spatulate-oblanceolate, unequal, bases ± indurate, margins scarious, green zones covering distal portion, apices spreading to strongly reflexed, faces sparsely scabrous, moderately stipitate-glandular.

in broad, sometimes ± flat-topped, paniculiform arrays, branches stiffly ascending (rarely arching), leafy with small, gradually reduced branch leaves.

in racemiform to paniculiform arrays, branches patent or ascending with 1–5+ heads.

deep purple to brown, oblong-obovoid, compressed, 2–3.5 mm, 4–5-nerved, faces glabrous or glabrate;

pappi tawny to red- or rose-tinged, 5–7 mm.

light brown, cylindric to narrowly obovoid, ± compressed, 3–4.5 mm, 7–10-nerved (brown), faces moderately strigose;

pappi tan, 5.5–6 mm.

= 30, 60.