Flora of North America species comparison

1–3+, erect (straight, rigid, sometimes stout), sparsely scabrellous or glabrescent to glabrate or glabrous.

1–5+, ascending to erect (thin, grayish brown to dark brown), glabrous proximally, densely canescent distally.

firm, margins recurved, scabrous to scabrellous, apices acute to acuminate, mucronulate, abaxial faces pilosulous to glabrate or glabrous, midveins marked, adaxial scabridulous;

basal withering by flowering, petiolate (petioles winged, bases sheathing), blades oblanceolate, 26–80 × 6–16 mm, bases attenuate, margins serrate, apices obtuse to acute;

proximal cauline mostly withering by flowering, petiolate to subpetiolate (petioles winged, sheathing to clasping), blades elliptic to oblanceolate or lanceolate or lanceolate-linear to sometimes linear, 45–70+ × 8–15 mm, bases attenuate to cuneate, margins serrate or crenate-serrate or entire;

distal (erect or spreading) sessile, blades lanceolate or oblanceolate to linear, 10–120 × 5–8 mm, reduced distally, sharply so on array branches, bases attenuate to cuneate, margins serrulate or entire.

(silvery) firm, soft;

basal withering by flowering, sessile, blades (1–3 nerved) elliptic-lanceolate, 10–40 × 5–15 mm, bases cuneate, weakly sheathing, margins usually entire, rarely remotely serrate, piloso-ciliate, apices acute, faces less copiously hairy than cauline;

proximal cauline withering by flowering, sessile, blades oblanceolate or oblong to linear-lanceolate, 15–30(–50) × 4–10 mm, slightly and progressively reduced distally, bases rounded, subclasping, margins entire, silky-pilose, apices obtuse to acute, mucronulate, faces sparsely to densely silky-pilose;

distal sessile, blades lanceolate, 10–30 × 5–8 mm, little reduced distally, bases cuneate, margins entire, apices acute, mucronate, faces ± densely silky.

0.3–6+ cm, irregular in length along branches, sometimes distally reduced, glabrate to sparsely scabridulous, bracts 7–12+, spreading to ascending, abruptly reduced distally, grading into phyllaries.

subsessile or 0.5–3(–5) cm, densely sericeo-strigose, bracts crowded, 4–8(–10) mm, grading into phyllaries.

campanulate to campanulo-turbinate, (4.5–)6–8 mm.

campanulate to cylindric, (5–)7.5–10 mm.

18–38;

corollas pale lilac or lavender to pale purple, laminae 9–11 × 0.9–1.7 mm.

(10–)15–30;

corollas usually rose-purple to deep purple, rarely white, laminae 8.5–11 × 1–1.5 mm.

24–37;

corollas yellow becoming reddish, 4.5–7 mm, tubes shorter than funnelform throats, lobes lanceolate, 0.9–1 mm.

(15–)25–35;

corollas pink turning purple, (5–)5.5–7 mm, tubes shorter than narrowly funnelform throats (both thinly puberulent), lobes deltate, 0.7–0.9 mm.

in 5–6 series, oblong-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or lanceolate (innermost), strongly unequal, bases indurate 1/2–4/5, margins narrowly scarious, distally erose, hyaline, ciliolate, green zones oblanceolate (outer sometimes ± foliaceous), apices acute (inner sometimes acuminate), mucronate, often purplish tipped, faces glabrous.

in 3–5(–6) series, outer ovate with expanded distal portion [(4–)5–6 mm], mid ovate-lanceolate [6–8(–10) mm] with expanded green portions, inner linear, unequal or sometimes subequal, outer often foliaceous, bases (mid) scarious, margins silky, green zones restricted to expanded distal 1/2–2/3 (obscured by hairs), apices (outer) spreading or squarrose to reflexed, acute, mucronulate, faces densely long-silky.

in racemiform to usually open, sometimes ± lax, paniculiform arrays, rarely borne singly, branches ascending to spreading, often straggling and arched, ± leafy (each usually with 10+ heads), secondaries sometimes erect and secund-like.

in open, paniculiform arrays, branches sparse, fastigiate, often arching (1–5+ per branch).

tan, oblong-obovoid to fusiform-obovoid, compressed, 2–2.6 mm, 4–6-nerved, faces ± strigillose;

pappi cream, 4.6–6.5 mm.

purple or brown, obovoid, not compressed, 2–3 mm, 7–10-nerved (prominent), faces glabrous;

pappi whitish or tawny, 6–7 mm.

= 64.

= 10, 20.