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 several, ± prostrate, sometimes ascending, much-branched, with dense, matlike growth form, often with short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs dense, tangled, short to long, fairly stiff, branched, sometimes glandular, white-woolly.

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.

green to deep purple, narrowly elliptic to oblong, ovate, or obovate, 1–3 cm, ± fleshy, margins plane or ± wavy, flat, 0-lobed, apex rounded, rarely 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.

usually erect, 2.5–8 × 1.5–4 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally pale to bright yellow, sometimes brownish orange, sometimes with brownish orange medial band, oblong, elliptic, or obovate, ± cup-shaped, ± fleshy, 0–3-lobed;

lobes erect, oblong, short, arising near tip, central lobe apex rounded to truncate, sometimes crenate or with obtuse teeth, lateral ones obtuse.

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, 17–26 mm;

tube 12–13 mm;

beak often slightly exserted, adaxially green to yellow-green, 11–13 mm;

abaxial lip green, reduced, 1.5–3.5 mm, 10–20% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, reduced, green, 0.5–1 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.

colored as bracts, lacking orange central band, 16–23 mm;

abaxial clefts 9.5–14 mm, adaxial 8 mm, abaxial 50–67% of calyx length, adaxial 35–45% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 4.5–5 mm, 20–25% of calyx length;

lobes oblong to triangular, abaxials sometimes wider than adaxials, apex acute to rounded, inner surface glabrous.

blackish.

= 24.

= 24.