Tas. 7432. 
HELIANTHUS pesitis. 
Native of the Southern United States. 
Nat. Ord. Compostrz.—Tribe HELIANTHOIDER. 
Genus Hetiantuvs, Linn. ; (Benth, & Hook.f. Gen. Plant. vol. ii. p. 376.) 
Heiantuvs debilis; annuus, hispidulus, caule e basi ramoso, ramis gracilibus, 
foliis longe petiolatis ovatis deltoideisve subacutis grosse inwqualiter 
crenato-dentatis denticulatisque e basi cuneato 3-nerviis, floribus amplis 
gracile peduuculatis, involucri bracteis patentibus inzequalibus herbaceis 
lanceolatis acuminatis scabridis, receptaculi planiusculi bracteolis tran- 
catis v. inequaliter 2~3-fidis-dentatisve, corollis radii sub 3-seriatis 
elliptico-oblongis 3-5-nervis aureis, disci corollis cylindraceis rabro-brun- 
neis, achzeniis obovato-oblongis hispidulis, pappi setis brevibus ineequali- 
bus coriaceis. 
H. debilis, Nutt. in Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. N.S. vol. viii. (1841) p. 367. Torr. 
& Gray Fl. N. Am, vol. ii. p. 320. Chapm. Fi. 8. Un. St. p. 229. A. Gray, 
Synopt. Fl. N. Am., Gamopet. part i. p. 273. 
H. precox, Engelm. & Gray in Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist. vol. v. (1847) 221, and 
Pl, Lindh, vol. i. p. 18. 
H. debilis, var. cucumerifolius, A. Gray l.e. Gard. Chron. (1895) vol. i. p. 167, 
fig. 24. 
H. cucumerifolius, Zorr. & Gr. Fl. N. Am. vol. ii. 319. 
Helianthus debilis belongs to a small section of the 
genus in which the root is annual, chiefly natives of the 
Southern States of N. America, and which includes six 
species, the common #. annuus, Linn., being one of them. 
A. Gray says of the whole group that the species are 
‘difficult of determination, and apparently confluent.” 
He includes under it H. precoz, as a variety with a more 
hispid stem, but Chapman retains this, describing it as 
erect, H. debilis being more or less decumbent, and 
having 15-20 ray-flowers, whereas he attributes only 
10-14 to H. debilis. Chapman further describes the 
flowers of debilis as small, but Gray says of them that 
they are half an inch or more in diameter. 
H. cucumerifolius, Torr & Gray, is described by Gray 
as another form of debilis, distinguished by its greater 
SEPTEMBER Ist, 1895. 
