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1. C. Bigelovii Gray. Woody at base, fasciculately branched: lower leaves spatu- 
late-oblong, 2.5 em. long, and fascicles of smaller ones in the axils; upper oblong or 
linear: heads sessile or very short-peduncled, mostly terminating very leafy somewhat 
paniculate short branchlets: awn-bearing scales of the pappus 11 to 14, and a few 
very small exterior scales.—Southwestern Texas. 
11. LIATRIS Schreb. (BUTTON SNAKEROOT. BLAZING STAR). 
Perennial often resinous-dotted herbs, with simple stems from a 
roundish tuber, rigid alternate narrow entire leaves, spicate or racemed 
discoid heads of handsome rose-purple perfect flowers, well imbricated 
appressed involucral bracts, naked receptacle, corolla 5-lobed with long 
and slender lobes, slender 10-ribbed achenes tapering to the base, and 
pappus of 15 to 40 capillary bristles which are manifestly plumose or 
only barbellate. 
* Pappus very plumose: bracts of the d-flowered involucre with ovate or lanceolate 
spreading petal-like (purple or white) tips, exceeding the flowers. 
1. L. elegans Willd. Stem (6 to 9dm. high) and involucre hairy: leaves linear, 
short and spreading: spike or raceme compact, 7.5 to 50 cm. long.—Extending into 
Texas from the pine barrens of the Gulf States. 
* * Pappus very plumose: bracts of the cylindrical many-flowered involucre imbricated 
in many rows, the tips rigid, not petal-like: corolla-lobes hairy within, 
2. GL. squarrosa Willd. (BLAZING star). Often hairy, 1.5 to 6 dm. high: leaves 
rigid, linear, elongated: heads usually few, 2.5 em. long: involucral bracts mostly 
with elongated and leaf-like spreading tips.—Dry soil, extending into Texas from 
the Atlantic States, and passing into var. INTERMEDIA DC., with narrow heads 
and shorter scales erect or nearly so. 
* * * Pappus very plumose: heads 3 to 6-flowered: involucral bracts acuminate: corolla- 
lobes naked. 
3. L. punctata Hook. Stout, 2.5 to 7.5 dm. high, from a branching or globose 
rootstock: leaves narrowly linear or the upper acerose, rigid; heads usually many 
in adense spike.—Dry prairies and plains, throughout Texas. 
4, L. acidota Eng. & Gray. Stem 3 to6dm. high, from a globose or at length 
elongated tuber: leaves very slender: heads numerous in a slender and strict naked 
spike: pappus shorter-plumose.—Prairies of Texas. Var. MUCRONATA Gray has 
smaller heads and flowers, with the involucral bracts abruptly mucronate-pointed. 
* * * * Pappus not obviously plumose to the naked eye: corolla-lobes smooth inside, 
5. L. scariosa Willd. Stem stout, 6 to 15 dm. high, pubescent or hoary: leaves 
(smooth, rough, or pubescent) lanceolate; the lowest oblong-lanceolate or obovate- 
oblong, tapering into a petiole: heads few or many, large, 25 to 40-flowered: bracts 
of the broad or depressed involucre obovate or spatulate, very numerous, with dry 
and searious often colored tips or margins. —Dry soil, extending into Texas from 
the Atlantic States. Var. sQUARRULOSA Gray is comparatively small and slender, 
with heads only 12 to 16mm. long and 14 to 20-flowered, and narrower involucral 
bracts (the innermost sometimes linear or lanceolate). 
6. L. pycnostachya Michx. Hairy or smoothish : stem stout,9 to 15 dm. high, 
very leafy: leaves linear-lanceolate, the upper very narrowly linear: spike thick 
and dense, 1.5 to5 dm. long: heads about 5-flowered, 12 mm. long: bracts of the 
cylindrical involucre oblong or lanceolate, with recurved or spreading colored tips,— 
Extending from the northern prairies into Texas, , 
