1172 CARDUACEAE 
Lower cauline leaves elongated, the blades less than 4 
mm. wide: bracts of the involucre obscurely if at 
all ciliate, obscurely punctate. 14. L. elongata. 
b. Heads on scaly peduncles: involucres mostly less than 
6 mm. high. 15. L. Earlei. 
B. Bracts of the involucre acute, acuminate or mucronate. 
Heads 3-14-flowered. 
Involucres 1 em. high or less, except when the bracts have lax acumi- 
nate color tips. 
Bracts of the involucre with erect or appressed tips. 
Leaves gradually decreasing in length from the base of the stem 
to the inflorescence. 
Pappus-bristles not plumose, at least to the naked eye. 
Rachis of the spike or raceme glabrous: outer bracts of the 
involucre glabrous or ciliolate. 
Bracts of the involucre mainly acute: 
Bracts thin, sparingly fine-punctate or epunctate, 
Middle involueral bracts less than 2 mm. wide: 
leaves erect or ascending. 16. L. Helleri. 
Middle involucral bracts over 2mm. wide: leaves 
spreading. 17. L. Smallii. 
Bracts very thick, copiously and coarsely punctate. 18. L. Regimontis. 
Bracts of the involucre mainly abruptly acuminate. 19. L. carinata. 
Rachis or thespike or raceme pubescent : outer bracts of the in- 
volucre pubescent, at least ciliate or resinous-atomiferous. 
Involucres 7-8 mm. high, about 3 mm. thick: heads 
closely sessile. 20. L. platylepis. 
Involueres 9-10 mm. high, about 5 mm. thick: heads s 
usually short-peduncled. 21. L. Nashii. 
Pappus-bristles plumose to the naked eye. 
Spike or raceme slender, neither dense nor leafy-bracted. 
Inner bracts of the involucre with firm green tips: 
involueres 7-9 mm. high. 22. L. Halei. 
Inner bracts of the involucre with pink scarious tips: A 
: involucres 10-12 mm. high. 23. L. Boykínii. 
Spike or raceme stout, dense, leafy-bracted. ) 
Bracts of the involucre eciliate. 24. L. acidota. 
Bracts of the involucre ciliate. 25. L. punctata. 
Leaves abruptly smaller near the base of the stem, the lower ones 
very much elongated, the stem thus scape-like. 
Involucres mostly less than 7 mm. high: blades of the lower 
leaves 1-3 mm. wide. 26. L. tenuifolia. 
Involucres mostly over 7 mm. high: blades of the lower leaves à 
4-11 mm. wide. 27. L. laevigata. 
Bracts of the involucre with recurved-spreading tips. : 
Heads not contiguous: involucres 6-7 mm. high, the bracts with : 
firm tips. 98. L. Garbert. 
Heads contiguous and crowded: involucres 8-12 mm. high, the 
bracts with scarious tips. 
Involucres 10-12 mm. high ; bracts with acuminate tips, scarcely 
if at all ciliate. 29. L. pycnostachya. 
Involucres 8-9 mm. high; bracts acute or mucronate, ciliate. 30. L. Langloisit. 
Involucres much over 1 em. high. ii 
Stems pubescent: achenes over 5 mm. long. 31. L. Chapmani. 
Stems glabrous : achenes less than 5 mm. long. 32. L. pauciftora. 
' Heads 16-60-flowered. 
Bracts of the involucre appressed, rounded or merely mucronate. 
Heads in an open cyme: bracts of the involucre mucronulate. 33. L. cymosa. 7 
Heads in a spike or raceme: bracts of the involucre acuminate. 34. L. cylindracea. 
Bracts of the involucre with rigid acuminate spreading tips. 35. L. squarrosa. 
1. Laciniaria élegans ( Walt.) Kuntze. Stems 3-12 dm. tall, normally simple, finely 
pubescent. Leaves numerous; blades linear or nearly so, 1.5-15 cm. long, acute or acutish, 
the upper ones reflexed, the lower ones narrowed into margined petioles: spikes or racemes 
1-5 dm. long, dense: involucres 1.5-2 cm. high ; bracts of 2 kinds, the outer linear or 
linear-lanceolate, inconspicuous, coarsely pubescent, the inner longer, with showy rose Tec 
acuminate serrulate blades: corollas white: achenes 6-7 mm. long, fluted, hirsute: 
pappus-bristles plumose. 
In dry or sandy soil, Virginia to Florida and Texas. Summer and fall. 
2. Laciniaria flabellàta Small. Stems 3-6 dm. tall, simple, lanuginous, angled, usu- 
ally solitary : leaves rather numerous ; blades linear or nearly so, the lower ones 5-10 cm. 
long, acute or acutish, spreading, narrowed into margined petioles, the upper ones ene 
reduced, reflexed, all densely punctate, glabrous : racemes conspicuous, 1-2 dm. long, 3 cm. 
thick : involucres 1.5 cm. high : bracts various, the outer somewhat keeled, with Lam d 
ing entire or denticulate acuminations, the inner with pale magenta fan-shaped erose-den 
tate tips: achenes densely pubescent : pappus-bristles somewhat plumose, rather few. 
In dry open woods, St. Helena Island, South Carolina. Fall. : 
3. Laciniaria scaridsa (L.) Hill. Stems 2-16 dm. tall, sometimes branched een 
leaves various, the lower ones with linear or elliptic blades longer than the petioles, y 
upper reduced, linear or linear-lanceolate : heads solitary, or numerous, 1n elongated some 
