WiEGANu ; Some Species of Bjdens ' 421 



what questionable value. In the present species they are often 

 sHghtly nodding in fruit. Many specimens named B, lacvis in the 

 herbaria are simply plants of />. ccruna just coming into flower at 



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which time the heads of that species may also be erect. j 



Recent botanists have substituted the name B. lacvis L. for 

 the B, chysanthcmoidcs of Michaux. Whether this should be 

 done or not depends on one's attitude regarding the interpretation 

 of Linnaean names. The recent practice has been to interpret the 

 species of Linnaeus as far as possible by his citation of the older 

 authors ; and indeed in many cases this is the only way in which 

 the species can be recognized. But in this case it is found that 



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while the unusually long description oi HeliantJius lacvis is contra- 

 dictory to a conception of Bidcns, the figure of Gronovius there 

 cited represents without doubt the />. chrysanthcinoidcs Mx. How- 

 ever, notwithstanding this contradiction, it seems preferable even 

 here to apply the custom of interpretation by citation, and conse- 

 quently the name B, lacvis has been used in this paper. 



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B, lacvis is really a coast plant and except in one or two in- 

 stances seems never to penetrate far inland. The New York, 

 specimens indicate that this species also is a member of the little 

 community of coast plants growing isolated in Central New-York, 

 and of which Listcra anstralis is a member. The most southerly 

 specimens examined w^ere from North Carolina, but it seems prob- 

 able that the species extends even as far as Georgia. The flower- 

 ing period is from August 15th to October 5th. I 



Although this species normally has an involucre scarcely ex- 

 ceeding the disk, two or three large coarse plants with leaves 16 

 cm. long from New Jersey (Centre Square, BrintoJi), and Dela- 

 ware (Wilmington, Tatnall) have bracts approaching those of/?. 

 cernua in length and foliaceous character; but the achcncs are of 

 B, lacvis. 



10. BiDENS Nashii Small, Bull. Torn Bot. Club. 25 : 481. 1898 



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B. chrysanthcnwidcs var. (i, T. & G. FL N. A. 2 : 353. 1842. 



Plant tall and rather stout (30-80 cm.), glabrous and more or 

 less succulent, simple or with a {<i\\ short erect branches near the 

 summit; Internodes often long: leaves ascending thickish (5-1 - 

 cm. X 20-35 nim.), oblong-lanceolate to oblanceolate-oblong, 

 broader than in B. lacvis, from barely acute to acuminate at the 



