428 



COMPOSITAE. 



VOL. III. 



Aster dumosus L. 



Bushy Aster. Rice-button Aster. Fig. 4339. 



Aster dumosus L. Sp. PI. 873. 1753. 



Aster coridifolius Michx. ; Willd. Sp. PI. 3 : 2028. 1804. 



As er dumosus strictior T. & G. Fl. N. A. 2 : 128. 1841. 



Aster dumosus coridifolius T. & G. Fl. N. A. 2 : 128. 1841. 



Glabrous or nearly so throughout, rather stiff and 

 viscid, usually paniculately branched, i-3 high. 

 Leaves firm, those of the stem linear or linear-lan- 

 ceolate, entire, acute, or obtusish, i'-3' long, ii"-3" 

 wide, roughish-margined, often reflexed, those of 

 the branches very numerous, small and bract-like, 

 the basal ones spatulate, dentate ; heads 4"-7" broad, 

 terminating the slender minutely leafy branches and 

 branchlets, usually numerous ; involucre broadly 

 campanulate, its bracts linear-subulate, obtuse or 

 acutish, appressed, imbricated in about 4 series, 

 green-tipped ; rays 15-30, blue to pale violet or white, 

 2"-4" long ; pappus white ; achenes pubescent. 



Sandy soil, Massachusetts to western New York, 

 Ontario, Florida, Louisiana and Missouri. Aug.-Oct. 



Aster Gravesii Burgess, known only from Water- 

 ford, Conn., has oblong-la'nceolate leaves, acuminate at 

 both ends, the larger 8" wide, the rays bright purple. 



59. Aster salicifolius Lam. Willow Aster. 

 Fig. 4340. 



Aster salicifolius Lam. Encycl. i : 306. 1783. 

 Aster subasper Lindl. Comp. Bot. Mag. i : 97. 1835. 

 Aster stenophyllus Lindl. DC. Prodr. 5: 242. 1836. 

 Aster salicifolius subasper A. Gray, Syn. Fl. i : Part 2, 



1 88. 1884. 



Stem rather slender, paniculately much branched, 

 usually very leafy, 2-5 high, glabrous, roughish or 

 somewhat pubescent above. Leaves firm, lanceolate 

 or linear-lanceolate, roughish or rough-margined, 

 acute or acuminate at the apex, narrowed and sessile 

 or slightly clasping at the base, entire or sparingly 

 dentate with low teeth, glabrous or nearly so, 2'-^' 

 long, 2"-6" wide, the lowest sometimes petioled, 

 those of the branches gradually smaller; heads nu- 

 merous, 8"-i2" broad ; involucre 3" 4" high, its 

 bracts linear-oblong, appressed, imbricated in 4 or 5 

 series, their green tips acute or obtusish; rays nu- 

 merous, violet, or violet-purple, or sometimes white, 

 3"-4" long ; pappus white ; achenes pubescent. 



In moist soil, Maine to Massachusetts, Florida, On- 

 tario, Assiniboia, Texas and Colorado. Aug.-Oct. 



60. Aster paniculatus Lam. Tall White 

 or Panicled Aster. Fig. 4341. 



Aster paniculatus Lam. Encycl. i : 306. 1783. 



Aster bellidiflorus Willd. Enum. 886. 1809. 



Aster tenuifolius var. bellidiflorus T. & G. Fl. N. A. 



2 : 132. 1841. 



Stem glabrous or nearly so, or sometimes pu- 

 bescent, paniculately much branched, 2-8 high. 

 Leaves lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or linear, 

 acuminate at the apex, narrowed to a sessile or 

 slightly clasping base, glabrous, usually thin, 

 roughish-margined, those of the stem sparingly 

 serrate, or sometimes entire, 3'-6' long, 3"-6' 

 wide, the upper and those of the branches grad- 

 ually smaller ; heads numerous, 8"-io" broad ; in- 

 volucre 3"-4" high, its bracts narrowly linear- 

 lanceolate, acuminate, appressed, green-tipped, 

 imbricated in 4 or 5 series ; rays numerous, white, 

 or faintly tinged with violet, 3"-4" long; pappus 

 white or nearly so ; achenes minutely pubescent. 



In moist soil, New Brunswick to western Ontario 

 and Montana, south to New Jersey, Virginia, Ken- 

 tucky, Louisiana and Missouri. Consists of many 

 races, differing in leaf-form, leaf-serration, size of 

 heads, color of rays, and pubescence. Aug.-Oct. 



