26 Rhodora [FEBRUARY 
same character of the leaves is emphasized in the other citations given 
by Linnaeus, in which we find the significant phrase: “foliis amplexi- 
caulibus.” ! These two plants, Erechtites hieracifolia (L.) Raf. and 
E. praealta Raf., are in'their involucres and achenes clearly extremes of 
one species, but so different in foliage that they should be designated 
as forms or varieties. 
True E. hieracifolia has the broad-based auriculate more or less 
clasping leaves scarcely decreasing in size into the inflorescence and 
is beautifully shown in Hermann’s plate. The commonest variation 
of the species, at least as indicated by herbarium-representation, is 
neither the large-leaved typical form nor E. pracalta but a plant with 
the upper leaves sessile and broad at base but very rapidly decreasing 
to small bracts below the inflorescence. 
Although found through broad ranges these three rather pronounced 
variations do not seem to coincide in their distribution, at least in the 
Northeast. Typical E. hieracifolia is apparently common near the 
coast in southern New England, extending north along the larger 
valleys to central Maine, central New Hampshire, and the Champlain 
Valley, and west locally to Illinois. The intermediate variety, with 
broad-based but greatly reduced upper leaves, is apparently the com- 
monest and most widespread, occurring from Texas to South Carolina 
and north to Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island; while the 
plant with the upper leaves attenuate to base or even petioled, L. 
pracalta Raf., described from Louisiana, extends eastward to Florida 
and north to Indiana, Ohio and southern Maine. As at present known 
the three plants seem to have somewhat different ranges and they are, 
therefore, here treated as geographic varieties. 
To summarize, our species and varieties of Erechtites may be dis- 
tinguished as follows: 
Heads subcylindric, only slightly gibbous at base: bracts of the involucre 
linear, with a slender attenuated tip, 0.5-1.5 mm. broad at the scarcely 
dilated base: corolla of the perfect flower not brown-lineate; its tube pale 
straw-color: achenes 2-3 mm. long, not inflated, with 10-12 pale ribs and 
strigose brown furrows; the terminal annulus (formed by the bases of the 
pappus-bristles usually without a beak (the persistent style-base) protrud- 
ing from the center: denuded receptacles 5-8.5 mm. in diameter. 
1. E. hieracifolia. 
Heads ovoid, abruptly acuminate, strongly gibbous at base (when fresh): 
bracts of involucre lanceolate, subobtuse, 1-3 mm. broad at the dilated 
1 L. Sp. PL. ii. 866 (1753). 
