Flora of North America species comparison

horizontal, brownish, thick, praemorse, fleshy.

horizontal, brownish, short, thick, praemorse, not brittle.

1–3, round in cross section, 0.8–2.5 dm, slender to stout, glabrous.

1–5, 1.6–4.5 dm, smooth to rough near bract attachment.

held well above ground, sessile;

blade green to bluish green, strongly to sparsely mottled, mottling becoming obscure with age, oval to suborbicular, 4–10 × 2–8 cm, base broadly attached, apex rounded-acuminate to bluntly parallel sided-acuminate (rounded basally to its broad attachment).

held well above ground, sessile;

blade green to purplish green, weakly to strongly mottled, mottling becoming obscure with age, ovate, ovate-elliptic, occasionally ovate-orbicular with margins overlapping, 7–18.5 × 7–13 cm, usually widest below middle, not glossy, base ± rounded, margins of distal 1/3 convex-curved to apex, apex acuminate to acute.

erect, odor pungent, spicy;

sepals displayed above bracts, spreading, green, variously streaked with maroon, lanceolate-oblanceolate, 9–35 × 4–8 mm, margins entire, apex rounded-acuminate;

petals long-lasting, erect, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, maroon, brownish maroon, green, or yellowish green, not spirally twisted, oblanceolate to elliptic, occasionally almost orbicular, 1.7–3.5 × 0.7–2 cm, thick-textured, narrowed near basal attachment (but not truly clawed), margins entire, apex gradually rounded-tapered to acute;

stamens straight, 10–23 mm;

filaments red-purple, 2–5 mm, dilated basally;

anthers erect, straight, gray-purple, 9–16 mm, thick, dehiscence introrse;

connectives purplish brown, straight, projecting 2–5+ mm beyond anther sacs;

ovary greenish white basally, purple distally, ovoid to globose, 6-angled, pyramidally narrowed to stigmas, 4–8.5 mm;

stigmas erect, divergent-recurved, distinct, purple, subulate, 1–5 mm, ± fleshy.

borne upon bracts, erect, odor usually pleasant, faint, spicy, reminiscent of odor of bruised sweetshrub (Calycanthus) leaves, occasionally musty or unpleasant;

sepals widely spreading, variably green, purple-streaked to all purple, oblong-lanceolate, 27–60 × 7–13 mm, margins entire, apex rounded to acute;

petals long-lasting, erect, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, maroon, maroon-purple, brownish purple, bronze, greenish purple, clear green, yellowish green, pale lemon yellow, or 2-colored, yellow distally with purple base, in occasional clones, flowers open or quickly fade to bright copper bronze, the particular color pattern is consistent from year to year, fading to browner tones with age except in yellow or green forms, not spirally twisted, shape quite variable across range, elliptic-obovate to oblanceolate, 4–7 × 0.9–2.7 cm, thick-textured, with widest portion at or above middle, narrowed to usually cuneate basally, not clawed, margins flat, entire, apex acute, rounded-acute to obtuse;

stamens erect, straight, brownish purple-green, 11–18 mm;

filaments brownish purple, 1.5–3.5 mm, widest at base;

anthers erect, straight, brownish gray, 7–14 mm, dehiscence latrorse or occasionally introrse;

connectives straight, scarcely (0.5 mm or less) if at all extended beyond anther sacs;

ovary maroon, ovoid to vase-shaped, weakly 6-angled or -ridged when mature, 12–15 mm;

stigmas erect, slightly diverging to spreading, distinct, purplish gray, linear-subulate to thickly subulate, 4–15 mm, fleshy.

baccate, dark greenish purple, odorless, subglobose, 6-angled, angles somewhat winglike, pulpy, not juicy.

green or with purple streaks, ovoid, very obscurely angled or angles no longer apparent, 2 × 1–1.5 cm, mealy or pulpy, fleshy, not juicy.

= 10.

= 10.