Flora of North America species comparison

several, erect, usually decumbent at base, unbranched, sometimes branched, sometimes with short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs spreading, short, rather stiff, some glandular.

few to many, erect or ascending, short-decumbent at base, unbranched, hairs dense, spreading to erect, ± short, soft, usually stipitate-glandular, longer ones sometimes eglandular.

purplish brown with a grayish cast (due to adhering soil particles and salt crystals), linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1.5–2.5(–3) cm, fleshy, margins plane, sometimes wavy, involute, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acute;

lobes spreading, linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex obtuse.

pale green to dull reddish maroon, linear to linear-lanceolate, 0.8–3.5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, slightly involute, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acuminate;

lateral lobes ascending to spreading, linear-lanceolate, usually arising from distal 1/2 of blade, usually narrower than central lobe, apex acuminate to acute.

3–10 × 1.5–5 cm;

bracts proximally purplish, deep burgundy, lavender, dull reddish, or deep purple, distally greenish, white, cream, or pink on margins and apices, oblong, 3(–5)-lobed;

lobes ascending, ± linear, medium length, arising above mid length, central lobe apex rounded to obtuse, expanded distally, lateral ones acute.

10–40(–80 with age) × 0.5–2.5 cm;

bracts pale cream to pale greenish yellow throughout, often partly to entirely suffused with dull reddish purple to maroon, especially proximally, along veins, and with age, sometimes distal apices pale, dullish red, lanceolate to ovate, usually 3-lobed, central lobe sometimes with short teeth;

lobes spreading-ascending, linear-lanceolate, short to medium length, arising at or above mid length, apex acute.

straight or slightly curved, 18–22(–24) mm;

tube 13–18 mm;

beak, sometimes abaxial lip, exserted;

beak adaxially purplish brown, 4.5–6.5 mm, conspicuously exceeding abaxial lip, margins reddish or colored as bracts, apices white or cream;

abaxial lip reddish purple with green in a distal band or along grooves, gradually inflated, grooved, (2–)3–4(–4.5) mm, 67% as long as beak;

teeth erect to slightly spreading, white to cream, often with purple spot, 1.4–2(–2.5) mm.

straight, 16.5–25 mm;

tube 12–18 mm;

beak scarcely exserted, adaxially pale green to yellowish, 3–7 mm;

abaxial lip green, not inflated, grooved, 2.5 mm, 33–50% as long as beak;

teeth slightly incurved, white, 1 mm.

proximally whitish, distally purple to sometimes pink, margins white or cream, 16–20 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 5–8.5 mm, 20–45% of calyx length, all 4 clefts subequal;

lobes linear or narrowly lanceolate, apex obtuse to rounded.

pale cream to pale greenish yellow, sometimes reddish violet to maroon on distal segments and/or with a thin vertical strip of pale reddish violet to maroon along veins, 11–20 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–12 mm, 60% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–1 mm, 5–10% of calyx length;

lobes triangular, apex acute to obtuse.

blackish.

= 24.