58 Rhodora [MARCH 
for several years maintained this view, — an opinion held also by Mr. 
Fernald. In fact, anyone observing this form attentively in the field 
could, it seems to me, hardly regard it as other than a good species. 
From his study of all this material, Mr. Fernald considers it satis- 
factorily referable to Solidago asperula Desfontaines. Comparison 
with authentic specimens from the Paris Garden leaves no reasonable 
doubt that these interesting New England forms are — at least in part, 
probably all— included in S. asperula. That name should, there- 
fore, be reinstated as representing this specific type. 
The original description of Desfontaines is as follows : 
SOLIDAGO ASPERULA.  Caule villoso, asperulo; foliis lanceolatis, 
levissime serrulatis ; racemis elongatis, patulis; floribus secundis. 
Caulis 3—4-pedalis, hirsutis, pilis brevibus, asperulis. Folia lanceo- 
lata, glabra, levissime serrulata. Flores racemosi, terminales. Racemi 
longi, paniculati, patentes. Flores numerosi, parvi, secundi, lutei. 
Rami pubescentes. — Desf. Cat. ed. 2, 403. 
From recent material the species may be characterized as follows : 
Stems from horizontal rootstocks, rather stout, erect, 2!4 to 414 
feet tall, simple or branched at the summit, commonly deep purple, 
papillose, slightly scabrous to moderately pubescent, very leafy; 
branches leafy, papillose pubescent with short whitish hairs; leaves 
absent or shrivelled at and near base of stem at flowering time, largest 
below (4 to 7% inches long, 34 to 134 inches wide), erect or ascend- 
ing, thickish and usually somewhat rugose, smooth scabrous or sparingly 
pubescent, pinnately veined, rarely somewhat triple-nerved, oblong or 
elliptical-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, acute, sessile or the lower 
tapering into margined petioles, entire to sharply serrate, the margins 
very rough ; leaves of branches much smaller, passing into the bracts 
of the racemes; inflorescence paniculate, varying from simple small 
and close to large open and compound forms, often markedly corym- 
boid ; racemes densely or loosely flowered, strongly secund, often re- 
curved, pubescent with whitish hairs; heads comparatively large (2% 
to 3% lines high); involucral scales imbricate in 4 to 5 rows, 
cilate, the outer herbaceous, lanceolate-subulate, acute, puberulent on 
the back, the inner oblong-lanceolate to linear-oblong, obtuse or obtus- 
ish with scarious margin and tip, smooth or minutely scabrous on the 
back; rays 8 to 16 (usually 1o to 13), golden yellow, large (1- 
136 lines x 36-56 line); disc flowers 6 to r4 (usually 8 to £219, 
their corollas tubular campanulate, abruptly contracted midway ; achenes 
pubescent (about 1 x 1% line), linear oblong, slightly flattened. 
Hab. Eastern Massachusetts and southeastern Connecticut in dry 
or dryish open soil. 
In bloom during the last three weeks of September, most of the 
