Flora of North America species comparison

1, erect (± flexuous, often reddish), glabrous, hairy in lines distally.

1–3+, erect (straight, brittle), glabrate.

stiff, margins sparsely serrulate or entire, ± revolute, scabrous, apices acute to acuminate, mucronulate, faces glabrous, sometimes midveins hairy;

basal withering by flowering, long-petiolate, petioles narrowly winged, bases sheathing, blades lanceolate, ca. 20 × 3–5 mm, slightly attenuate to narrowly cuneate;

proximal cauline withering by flowering, sessile or subpetiolate, blades linear-lanceolate to -oblanceolate, 100–200 × 4–8 mm, bases cuneate to attenuate, clasping;

distal sessile, blades linear-lanceolate to linear, 10–110 × 1–7 mm, progressively reduced distally, bases cuneate to rounded, slightly clasping or not, margins entire.

thin, margins ciliate, abaxial faces glabrous or glabrate, adaxial sparsely strigose;

basal withering by flowering (new rosettes developing at flowering), sessile, blades lanceolate to oblanceolate or spatulate, 20–40+ × 3–5+ mm, bases attenuate, margins sparsely serrate to subentire, strigose-ciliate, apices acute to obtuse;

proximal cauline usually withering by flowering, sessile, blades linear-oblanceolate, ca. 30 × 2 mm, bases tapering, margins entire, scabrous, apices acute;

distal sometimes withering by flowering, sessile, blades linear, 10–30 × 1.5–5 mm, reduced distally, bases cuneate or not tapering, margins entire, apices acute, ± mucronulate.

glabrous or ± densely pilose in lines, bracts 1–4, linear, sometimes inrolled distally, clasping, ciliate, distal 1–2 often subtending and surpassing involucres.

long, gradually reduced distally on branches, glabrous or glabrate, bracts 3–17+, linear, mucronate.

campanulate, 5–8.5 mm.

cylindro-campanulate, (3.2–) 3.4–4 (–4.3) mm.

20–35;

corollas dark blue-violet, seldom white, laminae 8–13 × 1–1.5 mm.

7–14;

corollas usually white, seldom pink, laminae (3–)3.8–5.4(–6.2) × 0.5–1.1 mm.

(18–)23–40;

corollas yellow, 4–6.5 mm, tubes shorter than funnelform throats, lobes lanceolate, 0.8–1 mm.

7–17;

corollas yellow becoming brown, (2.2–)2.5–2.9(–3.1) mm, tubes shorter than narrowly funnelform throats, lobes lanceolate, 0.3–0.6(–0.9) mm.

in 3–4 series, oblong-lanceolate, subequal, bases indurate 1/3–3/4, margins scarious, erose, hyaline, ciliate proximally, sparsely ciliolate distally, green zones lanceolate to linear, sometimes outer ± foliaceous, apices acuminate to long-acuminate, often foliaceous, mucronate to apiculate, faces glabrous, eglandular.

in 3–5 series, oblong-lanceolate, unequal, bases indurate 1/2–3/4, margins narrowly scarious, slightly or not erose, sparsely ciliolate or not distally, green zones lanceolate, apices acute, involute, slightly spreading, faces glabrous.

in elongate, open, narrow, paniculiform or racemiform arrays, branches ascending, short, leafy, branch leaves smaller and reduced distally (heads 1–3 per branch).

in open, wide, paniculiform arrays, branches arching, sometimes ± secund, abundantly bracteate.

tan, obovoid, compressed, ca. 2.2–2.4 mm, 5–6-nerved, faces sparsely strigillose;

pappi pinkish, 7–8 mm.

yellowish brown, obovoid, ± compressed, ± 1.2–1.3 mm, 3–4-nerved, faces sparsely to moderately strigillose;

pappi white (yellowish), 2.4–3.3 mm.

= 64, 80.

= 16.