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.

1–5+, ascending to erect, proximally glabrous, distally usually glabrous or sparsely puberulent, rarely densely hirsute.

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.

thin, margins entire or often serrate, apices acute, faces glabrous or sparsely puberulent;

basal withering by flowering, petiolate to subpetiolate, blades oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic or linear, 50–150 × 3–25 mm, bases attenuate, margins entire or sometimes serrate, apices acute;

proximalmost cauline withering by flowering, subpetiolate or sessile, blades obovate or oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, rarely linear, 50–150 × 4–35 mm, bases attenuate or cuneate;

distal sessile, blades 30–100(–130) × 3–15(–30) mm, bases cuneate, rounded or sometimes ± auriculate, margins sometimes serrate, scabrous.

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

sparsely hairy, bracts 1–10, lance-oblong to linear, sometimes clasping, margins scabrous.

campanulate, 5–6 mm.

campanulate, 5–8(–10) mm.

17–25(–30);

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

15–45;

corollas violet, laminae 10–16(–20) × (1–)1.5–2.5 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.

50–75;

corollas yellow becoming reddish, 4–7 mm, lobes triangular, 0.5–1 mm, glabrous.

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 4–6 series, appressed or squarrose, oblong or narrowly oblanceolate or linear (outer) to linear (inner), unequal to subequal (outer shorter than or equal to inner, often less than 3 times as long as wide), bases outer indurate less than 1/2 (some foliaceous), inner scarious, margins entire, sometimes ciliate, green zones obovate to elliptic, apices acute to obtuse, faces usually glabrous, rarely sparsely puberulent.

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

in open, corymbiform, paniculiform, or racemiform arrays, branches 5–30 cm.

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 or purplish, cylindric to obovoid, not compressed, 2–4 mm, 3–6-nerved, faces hairy;

pappi whitish to tawny or reddish, 4.5–8 mm.

= 32.

= 48, 64, 80, 96.