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.

1–10+, decumbent to ascending or erect (grayish brown, slender), sparsely strigoso-hispid, ± scabrous.

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.

(dark bright green) firm, much reduced distally, margins entire, apices acute, mucronate, faces usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely strigoso-hispid;

basal withering by flowering (new vernal rosettes often present), sessile, blades (1–3-nerved) linear-oblanceolate, 20–40 × 5–30 mm, bases attenuate, margins scabro-ciliate;

proximal cauline sometimes persistent, sessile, blades linear to linear-lanceolate, 10–40 × 5–20 mm, bases sometimes subclasping, margins entire, scabrous;

distal sessile, blades linear to linear-lanceolate, 20–40 × 2–3 mm, bases cuneate, margins entire, coarsely cililate-spinulose, apices acute, white-spinulose, faces sometimes stipitate-glandular.

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

sparsely hispido-strigose, ± densely stipitate-glandular, bracts ± ascending, linear to lance-oblong, grading into phyllaries.

campanulate, 5–6 mm.

campanulate, 4–7 mm.

17–25(–30);

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

10–20;

corollas light to dark lavender to purple, laminae 5–10 × 1–2 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.

(7–)10–30;

corollas yellow becoming reddish purple, 3.5–5 mm, throats narrowly funnelform, lobes narrowly triangular, 0.4–0.7 mm.

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 3–4 series, lanceolate, unequal, bases ± indurate, margins narrowly to widely scarious, hyaline except apically, sometimes ciliolate, often stipitate-glandular, green zones lanceolate to diamond-shaped, covering distal portion (outer), apices acuminate, spreading to reflexed, faces glabrous, moderately to densely short-stipitate-glandular.

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

in ± narrowly racemiform to paniculiform arrays, branches sometimes initially patent, then spreading to ascending.

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.

brown (nerves stramineous), obovoid, ± compressed, 1.5–2.5 mm, 7–10-nerved, faces moderately strigillose;

pappi cinnamon to sordid, sometimes purplish-tinged, 4.5–5 mm.

= 32.

= 10.