COMPOSITE FAMILY 



THE PLANT: erect, one foot to two feet high or more, 

 bushily branched; the branches somewhat erect; the stems 

 clothed' with a white, matted wool. 



THE LEAVES: alternate; obovate to spatulate; piniiatcly 

 compound; one inch to four inches long; beneath densely 

 covered with long, white, matted hairs, becoming smoother 

 and greener when old; the lower petioled, the upper sessile; 

 deeply lobed, the lobes entire or few-toothed; obtuse. 



THE FLOWER HEADS: very small, in a racemose spike on 

 short stems, which are clothed with greenish-white, matted 

 wool; the involucre bell-shaped; its bracts also covered 

 with matted hairs. 



THE FRUIT: achenes; the pappus none. 



This is the greenish-white plant that grows in round 

 clumps on the beach sands, or is frequently used in gar- 

 dens, as a border-plant. It is easily transplanted, because 

 it roots so readily in water. 



When in its "native haunts," it is not difficult to iden- 

 tify. For the decoratively slashed grey-green leaves are 

 matted, some often close to the sand, and from them rise 

 stiff spikes of yellow-white flower heads. These, unfor- 

 tunately, soon turn a dingy brown. 



COMPOSITE COMPOSITE FAMILY 



Erechtites hieradfolia, (L.) Raf. 



White Fireweed, 



Pile Wort. 

 July-September 



Erechtites: the ancient name of some species of groundsel, 



probably called after Erechtheus. 

 Hieradfolia: Latin, having leaves like Hieracium, the 



hawk weed. 



THE PREFERRED HABITAT: dry, sandy soil, particularly 

 of the Commons. 



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