Flora of North America species comparison

elongate.

short.

4–8, 2-ranked, often twisted or contorted, gray to silver-gray, 1.5–3 × 0.1–0.2 cm, densely grayish-scaly;

sheath pale, narrowly elliptic, not inflated, not forming pseudobulb, 0.2–0.4 cm wide;

blade filiform, succulent, margins involute to nearly tubular, apex acute.

15–30, many-ranked, erect to spreading, gray, 15–40 × 0.2–0.5 cm, coarsely appressed-scaly;

sheath rust-colored toward base, broadly triangular, flat, not forming pseudobulb, 1–2 cm wide;

blade linear-subulate, leathery, margins involute, apex attenuate.

scape concealed within leaf sheath, appearing scapeless, pendent with shoot, ± 1 mm diam.

scape conspicuous, erect, 8–15 cm, 2–4 mm diam.;

bracts densely imbricate, erect;

sheath of bracts narrowing gradually into blade;

spikes erect, simple or palmate, linear, compressed, 2–4 × 1 cm, apex acute; simple or lateral branches 1–5.

1, inconspicuous, apparently sessile;

sepals free, ovate, not keeled, 0.6–0.7 cm, thin, veined, apex acute, surfaces glabrous;

corolla spreading, petals spreading, yellow-green, elliptic, to 1 cm;

stamens included;

stigma included, simple-erect.

5–20, conspicuous;

sepals with adaxial pair connate, elliptic, keeled, to 1.5 cm, thin-leathery, veined, apex obtuse, surfaces scaly;

corolla tubular, petals erect, violet, ligulate, 3–4.5 cm;

stamens exserted;

stigma exserted, conduplicate-spiral.

to 2.5 cm.

2.5–3 cm.

bracts enveloping flower, erect, green, broad (covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis), ovate, not keeled, 0.4–0.5 cm, thin-leathery, apex acute, surfaces densely grayish-scaly, venation even to slight.

bracts imbricate, erect, uniformly red to rose, broad (covering all or most of rachis, rachis not visible at anthesis), elliptic, keeled apically, 1.4–1.7 cm, thin-leathery, base not visible at anthesis, apex acute, surfaces scaly distally, becoming sparsely scaly toward base, venation slight.