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.

solitary or few to many, erect, unbranched to much-branched, glabrous or hairy proximally and/or distally, hairs sparse to dense, spreading to erect, short to fairly long, soft, 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.

green, narrowly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, linear, or narrowly elliptic, 2–8 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, flat or involute, 0(–5)-lobed, apex acuminate;

lobes widely spreading, linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex 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.

3–16 × 2–3.5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally red to orange-red, sometimes with a purplish medial band, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate or ovate in outline, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed, sometimes also with 4 small teeth;

lobes ascending, linear-lanceolate, long, arising above or below mid length, apex acuminate, acute, or 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.

slightly to moderately curved distally, 25–37 mm;

tube 16–20 mm;

beak exserted 10–16 mm beyond calyx, adaxially green to yellowish, 11–25 mm;

abaxial lip green or red, small, inconspicuous, visible through cleft of calyx, 2 mm, 15–20% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, green or red, 0.7–1.5 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.

proximally green, distally red, 20–25 mm;

abaxial clefts 11–14(–17) mm, adaxial 8–9 mm, abaxial 50–60% of calyx length, adaxial 35–40% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 5–7 mm, 10–15% of calyx length;

lobes lanceolate to narrowly triangular, apex acute to acuminate.

blackish.

= 24.