Largeflower skeletonplant

Erythremia grandiflora Nuttall, Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 445. 1841

Perennials 5–25(–60) cm; roots or rhizomes vertical, deep. Stems 1–5, erect or ascending, green, simple or branched from bases, obscurely striate (glabrous, puberulent or scabrous). Leaves (basal not forming rosettes, cauline present at flowering); basal blades linear to subulate. 5–150 × 1–6 mm, margins entire; cauline similar, sometimes reduced to scales distally. Heads (1–30, showy) borne singly or in loose, corymbiform arrays. Involucres cylindric, 15–25 × 6–8 mm, apices narrowed or spreading. Calyculi of ca. 8, deltate to ovate bractlets 2–5 mm, margins ciliate (faces tomentulose). Phyllaries 5–12, linear, 15–24 mm, margins scarious, apices appendaged (faces glabrous or scabrous). Florets 5–12; corollas 20–40 mm, lavender, pink, purple, rose, or white, ligules 5–10 mm wide. Cypselae (subcylindric, obscurely 4–5-angled) 10–18 mm (faces smooth or rugose, sometimes sulcate); pappi 10–13 mm. 2n = 18.

Varieties 5 (5 in the flora): sw, w United States.

Lygodesmia grandiflora is recognized mainly by its relatively large corollas. Some variants were segregated as distinct species by A. S. Tomb; because of intermediates, putative hybrids, and associated identification problems, it is probably best to recognize these as varieties pending further investigation (A. Cronquist 1994; S. L. Welsh et al. 2003).