General Information |
Distribution | Native from Arizona south to South America.
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Habit
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Perennial herbs from stout rhizomes up to 10 cm long.
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Leaves
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Leaves basal, elliptic to elliptic-oblanceolate, 4-35 cm long, 1-7.5 cm wide, usually 5-7-nerved, sparsely to moderately pilose, especially along veins, margins remotely denticulate, attenuate to a winged petiole 0.5-15 cm long.
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Flowers
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Scapes 10-50(-100) cm long, spikes 3-50 cm long, moderately pilose, flowers crowded, less so toward base, bracts often purple-tipped, narrowly deltate, 1.6-4.5 mm long, outer surface ciliate and pilose; sepals unequal, anterior ones connate at base, elliptic, (1.7-)2-3 mm long, posterior ones distinct, ovate; corolla lobes erect and coherent, 1.7-3.4 mm long; ovary with 3 ovules.
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Fruit
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Capsules ellipsoid, 2.7-3.2 mm long, dehiscent at or slightly below middle.
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Seeds
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Seeds 3, dull black, ellipsoid, compressed, 1.2-2.2 mm long.
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Chromosomes
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2n = 24, 48
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