Flora of North America species comparison

short, thick.

horizontal, brownish, thick, praemorse, not brittle.

1–2, decumbent, usually by an S-shaped curvature, round in cross section, 0.5–2 dm, somewhat stout, slightly expanded toward bracts, densely puberulent, especially just below bracts and on bases of main bract veins beneath.

1–3, green or bronze-green, round in cross section, 1.7–4.4 dm, stout, glabrous.

appearing early in season, in good condition for only a few weeks after anthesis, dying back to semipersistent bases early, resting on ground surface, sessile;

blade strongly mottled in shades of green and bronze and with silvery overlay, mottling becoming obscure with age, ovate to suborbicular, 4–12 × 3.3–7 cm, apex acute to rounded.

held horizontally, not drooping, tips at anthesis held well above ground, sessile;

blade usually very strongly marked with at least 3 shades of dark green, bronze green, and purplish green, often with light central strip, mottling becoming obscure with age, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, widest at ca. 1/3 of length from basal attachment, tapered very gradually to tip, 8–17+ × 4.9–8.5 cm, rounded basally, margins of distal 1/3 straight, apex acute.

erect, odor unreported;

sepals divergent, green- or maroon-streaked, lanceolate-ovate, 22–48 × 9–14 mm, margins entire, flat, apex acute;

petals long-lasting, rigidly erect, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, dark maroon-purple when fresh, fading especially distally to dull reddish brown, greenish brown, or with creamy yellow tones, very rarely pale lemon yellow forms occur, twisted (but not spiraled), linear-lanceolate or oblanceolate, 4–8+ × 0.7–1 cm, thick-textured, margins entire, apex acute;

stamens erect, straight, dark purple, 10–25 mm;

filaments dark purple, 2–5 mm;

anthers straight, dark purple, 9–20 mm, dehiscence extrorse;

connectives broad, extending to 3.5–4 mm beyond anther sacs;

ovary dark purple, oval, 6-angled, 5–10 mm;

stigmas erect, divergent-recurved, distinct, sessile, pink or white, subulate, 4.5–8 mm.

faintly ill-scented;

sepals divergent-ascending, streaked with green to maroon, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 36–68 × 12–21 mm, margins entire, flat or slightly raised adaxially, apex acute;

petals long-lasting, erect, ± connivent, ± partially concealing stamens and ovary, maroon-purple, brownish purple to brown, greenish streaked to green, rarely yellow, becoming brown, or occasionally bright copper-bronze with age, not spirally twisted, veins not engraved, obovate to oblanceolate, large in proportion to leaf size compared to many species, 5–9 × 1–2 cm, 2+ times longer than wide, widest at or just above middle, thick-textured, margins entire, flat, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded;

stamens erect or incurving, 12–24 mm;

filaments yellow, 2–3 mm;

anthers erect, straight, rarely arcuate, yellow, 10–15 mm, dehiscence latrorse;

connectives straight, projecting 1–2 mm beyond anther sacs;

ovary dark red, brown, or gray, ellipsoid, strongly 6-angled, 6–13 mm;

stigmas basally erect, tips recoiled upon ovary, distinct, green, white, or purple, linear, short, 3–12 mm, slightly thickened basally, not fleshy.

baccate, dark purple, broadly ovoid to subglobose, crownlike, strongly ridged, 1–1.5 × 1 cm, pulpy but not juicy, present and enlarging on naked scapes until early autumn.

baccate, dark green to purple, odor not reported, ellipsoid, strongly grooved and ridged, pulpy or mealy.

= 10.

= 10.