Flora of North America species comparison

1(–3+), ascending to erect (usually flexuous, sometimes ± straight, sometimes stout, older often dark purple), glabrous proximally, moderately hirsute distally.

1–3+, erect (sometimes brown proximally, strict to straight), glabrous.

thin, margins scabrous, apices mucronate, abaxial faces glabrous, midveins hispid to glabrate, adaxial scabrous;

basal withering by flowering, petiolate (petioles slender or slightly winged, bases reddish, dilated, sheathing, ciliate), blades obovate to oblanceolate, 15–70 × 10–20 mm, bases attenuate, margins crenate-serrate, apices acute to obtuse;

proximalmost cauline withering by flowering, proximal mostly persistent, petiolate to subpetiolate (petioles ± widely winged, bases dilated, strongly auriculate-clasping), blades ovate to lance-ovate or elliptic-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 80–160(–200) × 15–55 mm, progressively reduced distally, bases attenuate, margins sharply serrate (teeth mucronulate), apices acuminate to subcaudate;

distal subpetiolate or sessile (petioles broadly winged, auriculate-clasping), blades oblanceolate to lanceolate, sometimes panduriform, 7–90 × 2–25 mm, progressively reduced distally, more sharply so on branches, bases attenuate (petiolate) or ± cuneate to auriculate-clasping and slightly constricted above auricles (panduriform), margins serrate or entire.

green to dark green, firm, ± fleshy, margins entire, ciliate, apices acute, callous, faces sparsely strigillose;

basal persistent or petiole bases marcescent, long-petiolate (to 15 cm; petioles sheathing, margins glabrous), blades linear to linear-lanceolate, 10–30 × 2–7 mm, bases cuneate to subattenuate, margins sparsely denticulate or entire, indurate-translucent;

proximal cauline persistent, sessile or subpetiolate, blades linear, 42–105 × 1–3 mm, bases clasping, margins often revolute;

distal sessile, blades usually linear, sometimes awl-shaped, 50–180 × 5–10 mm, strongly reduced distally, more abruptly so on array branches, bases subclasping to adnate for 1/2+ length, margins often revolute.

(8–)10–40 mm, sparsely to densely hispid, bracts lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 3–12 mm, somewhat grading into phyllaries.

1–20+ cm, slender, glabrous, bracts 4–22, linear (awl-shaped), grading into phyllaries.

campanulate, 5–6 mm.

cylindro-campanulate, 5.5–9 mm.

17–25(–30);

corollas usually lavender to blue, rarely white, laminae 7.5–12(–15) × 1–2 mm.

8–23;

corollas purple to blue-lavender, laminae (10–)14–15(–20) × 0.8–2.2 mm.

39–50(–65);

corollas cream colored or light yellow becoming purple or brown, 3.5–5 mm, tubes ± equaling campanulate to funnelform throats (thinly puberulent), lobes triangular, 0.5–1 mm.

47–57;

corollas pale yellow, 4.7–6.3 mm, throats funnelform to narrowly campanulate, lobes triangular, 0.5–0.7 mm (proximally sparsely pilose).

in 4–6 series, oblong-lanceolate or -oblanceolate, slightly constricted near middle (outer) to linear-lanceolate or linear (inner), ± unequal (flexible), bases indurate 1/5–1/2, margins ± narrowly hyaline, scarious, erose, sometimes ciliolate distally, green zones lanceolate to linear-lanceolate (inner), often distally foliaceous, sometimes outer ± entirely so, apices spreading to ± squarrose, acute to acuminate, mucronulate, abaxial faces sparsely hirsutulous to glabrate or glabrous, adaxial glabrous or sparsely hirsutulous.

in 4–5(–6) series, oblong-lanceolate (outer) to linear-lanceolate (innermost), bases indurate (at least inner), margins scarious, hyaline, purplish distally, ciliolate, green zones narrowly lanceolate, not evident, apices purplish, acute (outer) to acuminate (inner), sometimes mucronate (inner), faces sparsely villous.

in broad, ± flat, corymbo-paniculiform arrays, branches often purplish, divaricate to ascending, slender.

in open, usually corymbiform, sometimes ± paniculiform arrays, branches ascending, simple, slender, elongate.

dull purple or stramineous with purple streaks or purplish-tinged, cylindro-oblanceoloid to obovoid, ± compressed, 2–3(–3.5) mm, 4–6-nerved, faces sparsely to moderately strigillose;

pappi sordid, 3.5–4.5 mm.

tan to gray-brown (nerves stramineous), obovoid, compressed, 3.1–4.5 mm, 8–10(–14)-nerved, faces glabrous;

pappi yellowish, 4.4–4.7 mm.

= 32.

= 14.