Flora of North America species comparison

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

forming clumps, stout, praemorse.

1–2, round in cross section, 0.8-2 dm, slender to stout, glabrous.

1–many, round in cross section, 3–6 dm, stout, glabrous.

usually drooping, often touching ground in early anthesis, sessile;

blade pale silvery green, strongly mottled in 3 or more shades of dark green and bronze, sometimes maroon, mottling becoming obscure with age, ovate-lanceolate to obovate, 6.5–12 × 5–7.8 cm, margins of distal 1/3 straight from rounded base to apex, apex acuminate.

sessile to subsessile;

blade green, major veins prominent, rhombic, 10–18 × 10–20 cm, not glossy, tapered basally, apex short-acuminate.

erect, odor fetid, especially when first open;

sepals displayed above bracts, spreading, green or purple on adaxial surface, lanceolate, 4.5–5 × 8–12 mm, margins entire, flat, apex rounded-acute;

petals long-lasting, erect-spreading, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary or at least partially obscuring stamens, tips ± incurved, dark maroon-red, or purplish red, brownish maroon, or yellowish green, not spirally twisted, oblanceolate to elliptic, 3–5.5+ × 1–1.5 cm, usually 3–4 times longer than wide, thick-textured, margins entire, apex acute;

stamens ± erect to weakly incurved, 14–17 mm;

filaments purple, 1–2 mm;

anthers 8–15 mm, thick, dehiscence latrorse;

connectives brown-purple, straight, extended 1–2 mm beyond anther sacs, apex somewhat acute;

ovary purple, ellipsoid, 6-angled, 6.3–11 mm;

stigmas erect, abruptly recurved upon ovary, distinct, purplish, linear, 1.5–5 mm, slightly thickened basally, fleshy.

above bracts, erect to mostly leaning, odor faintly sweet, applelike;

perianth gaping, strongly 3-dimensional;

sepals spreading, green, flat, oblanceolate-lanceolate, 20–40 × 6–15 mm, margins entire, apex mildly sulcate;

petals spreading-ascending, not recurved to weakly so at tip, creamy white, flat, adaxial veins faintly engraved, ovate to ovate-orbicular, 4–7+ × 1.5–4 cm, 1.5 times as long as sepals, heavy-textured, base rounded, margins entire, apex acuminate;

stamens erect to weakly recurved, 7–20 mm;

filaments purple or brownish, shorter than anthers, slender;

anthers weakly recurved, yellow with brown undertones, 6–20 mm, longer than ovary, slender, dehiscence introrse;

connectives purple-brown, not extending beyond anther sacs;

ovary dark purplish black, pyramidal at anthesis, very strongly 6-angled, 7–12 mm, widely attached basally;

stigmas short, mildly recurved, distinct, purple or yellow, not lobed adaxially, 2–5.5 mm, fleshy, basally widened to gradually tapered;

pedicel ± erect to mostly leaning, 4–9 cm.

baccate, purple-black to dull greenish maroon, odorless, ovoid to obovoid, 6-angled (-ridged), 0.7–1 cm diam., pulpy, not juicy.

baccate, dark purplish black, odorless, orbicular, 1–1.5 cm diam., fleshy, not juicy.