Rydberg : Studies on the Rocky Mountain Flora 505 



This is a member of the A. nudtifloriis group and has been 

 confused with A. commutatus (T. & G.) Gray or A. incano-pilosus 

 Sheldon. In A. commutatus, the stem is strigose-pubescent, the 

 branchlets more elongated and the outer bracts longer than in A. 

 crassulus and often equalling or surpassing the inner bracts. It 

 may be the same as described by Lindley in Hooker's Flora and 

 DeCandolle's Prodromus as " A. ramulosits /?, incano-pilosus"; 

 but here it is to be noticed that the word "incano-pilosus" is 

 printed in the same type as all the descriptions and not the special 

 type used for names. Hence "incano-pilosus" was a descriptive 

 term for the A. ramulosits /?, and not the name. If, however, 

 it should be taken as a name, which Mr. Sheldon did, it is a 

 nomen nudum, as no further description is given, and then should 

 be disregarded. As Sheldon's Aster incano-pilosus, which is amply 

 distinct, has as a synonym, the older A. commutatus (T. & G.) 

 Gray it must be dropped and A. commutatus substituted. 



A. crassulus grows on dry plains and table-land at an altitude 

 of i 200 m. 



Colorado : Mesas, La Veta, 1900, F. K. Vreeland, 6goa (type) 

 and 690; Denver, 1871, Dr. Geo. Smith, 8j; Ridgway, 1894, F. 

 Tweedy y j 06 ; Pagosa Spring, 1899, C. F. Baker, 6jy. 



New Mexico : 185 1, C. Wright, 1155; Rio Dolores, Neivberry. 



California: Valley, near San Filipe, 1858, S.Hayes. 



Wyoming: Bear Lodge Mountains, 1898, L. W. Carter; 

 Moorcroft, 1897, L. W. Carter; Dayton, 1899, F. Tiveedy, 20JI. 



North Dakota: Minot, 1891, Wright; Custer, 1892, Ryd- 



ber S, 773- 



Montana : Park Co., 1887, F. Tweedy, 359 ; Colgate, Sand- 

 berg, Mac D 011 gal &. Heller, 102 1 ; Montana Valley, Madison Co., 



1899, Aven & Elias Nelson, 683 p. 



Walt. 1 788. 



^ Aster exiguus (Fern aid) 



tfuhl.; Willd. So. PI. 3: 2027. 1804. Not 



Aster Jicbecladus A. Gray, Syn 



ultifli 



Not DC. 



Aster multifioriis var. exiguus Fernald, Rhodora, 1 : 187. 1899. 

 I think that Aster ciliatus Muhl. is distinct from A. multifioriis ; 



