li^ules; ^nd. A. salicifolius, Aifc. (Lara.?), which has shorter, 

 often scabrous leaves, reticulately veined, and longer, 

 usually purplish or violet li^ules. The same author adds, 

 that some forms of A. Tradesranti, both wild and culti- 

 vated, show an affinity witb 4. dumosns, Linn., A. vimineus, 

 Lam., and A. diffusus. Ait., all of which may be distin- 

 guished by having more regularly and closely imbricating 

 non-coriaceous involucral bracts, and leaves mostly whitish 

 beneath. All of the above-named species of Adf^r are 

 cultivated in the Herbaceous ground of the Royal Gardens, 

 Kew, where, about twenty years ago, they were cintically 

 examined and named by Prof. Asa Gray, who had devoted 

 years to the Asters of his native country. 



A. Tradeficanti is the first of the many N". American 



Asters cultivated in Europe, having been introduced prior 



to 1633 by John Tradescant, Gardener to Charles I., into 



his garden, Lambeth. It was, no doubt, bronght over by 



his son, who travelled in Virginia, and who, on his return 



to England, brought many new plants with him. It is a 



native of open ground in the Eastern United States, from 



Canada to Virginia, and westward to Ilinois and the 



Saskatchewan river. Two varieties of it are described in 



Aiton's " Hortus Kewensis ; " one with blue flowers, called 



Tradescant's dwarf Star-wort or Michaelmas Daisy, which 



A. Gray refers to A. jpaniculatus ; the other, with wiiite 



flowers, Tradescant's tall Star-wort, to which A. Gray 



confines the name. The latter is frequent in Botanic 



Gardens, varying a little in the size of the heads. The 



specimen figured is from the Cambridge Botanical Garden, 



where, as at Kew, it has been in cultivation probably 



ever since these gardens were established. It flowers in 



September and October. — /. D, E. 



Fig. l.liorul with unexpanded flowers; 2, ray-flower; 3, diak-flower ; 4, hair 

 ol pai.i-us ; o, sUtueus ; t>, style-arma of dit,k-flower :— a^Z enJanjcd. 



