Gi:nus 24. 



THISTLE FAMILY. 



1. Brachychaeta sphacelata (Raf.) Brit- 

 ton. False Golden-rod. Fig. 4268. 



Solidago sphacelata Raf. Ann. Nat. 14. 1820. 

 S\ cordata Short, Trans. Journ. Med. 7: 599. 1834. 

 Brachychaeta cordata T. & G. Fl. N. A. 2 : 194. 1841. 

 B. sphacela a Britton; Kearney, Bull. Torr. Club 20: 

 484. 1893. 



Stem erect, pubescent, simple or branched above, 

 2 c -4 high. Basal and lower leaves broadly ovate, 

 cordate or truncate at the base, acute at the apex, 

 pinnately veined, sharply serrate, 3'-6' long, the 

 slender petioles 3'-g' long, stem leaves gradually 

 smaller and shorter-petioled. the uppermost very 

 small and sessile; heads about 2h" high, racemose- 

 secund or densely clustered on the short branches 

 of the narrow elongated terminal thyrsus; bracts 

 of the involucre oblong or linear-oblong, obtuse 

 or acutish ; rays and disk-flowers each about 5. 



In dry woods, Virginia to Indiana, western Ken- 

 tucky, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. Aug.- 

 Sept. 



25. APHANOSTEPHUS DC. Prodr. 5: 310. 1836 



Erect or ascending canescent branching herbs, with alternate leaves, and rather large 

 heads of both tubular and radiate flowers, solitary at the ends of the branches. Involucre 

 hemispheric, its bracts lanceolate or linear, scarious-margined, imbricated in a few series, the 

 outer smaller. Receptacle convex or conic, naked. Ray-flowers pistillate, white or purplish. 

 Disk-flowers perfect, yellow, their corollas tubular, the limb expanded above, 5-dentate. 

 Anthers obtuse and entire at the base. Style-branches flattened, their appendages short, 

 obtuse. Achenes many-ribbed. Pappus a short dentate crown. [Greek, faint-crown.] 



About 5 species, natives of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Type species : 

 Aphanostephus ramosissinius DC. 



i. Aphanostephus skirrobasis (DC.) Tre- 

 lease. Aphanostephus. Fig. 4269. 



Keerlia skirrobasis DC. Prodr. 5: 310. 1836. 



Leucopsidium arkansanum DC. Prodr. 6: 43. 1837. 



Aphanostephus ark an s anus A. Gray, PI. Wright. 1 : 

 93. 1852. 



Aphanostephus skirrobasis Trelease ; Coville & Bran- 

 ner, Rep. Geol. Surv. Ark. 1884: Part 4, 191. 1891. 



Erect, or diffusely branched, densely canescent, 

 6'-2 high. Basal and lower leaves spatulate, ob- 

 tuse, 1/-4' long, somewhat dentate, laciniate or 

 entire, narrowed into margined petioles; upper 

 leaves lanceolate, oblong or oblanceolate, obtuse 

 or acute, mostly sessile, smaller; heads 8"-i2" 

 broad, 3"-5" high; rays numerous, narrow, entire; 

 achenes ribbed and angled ; pappus a lobed or 

 dentate crown. 



In dry soil, Kansas to Texas and Chihuahua, east 

 to Florida. May-Aug. 



26. BELLIS [Tourn.] L. Sp. PI. 886. 1753. 



Tufted herbs, with branching or scapose stems, alternate or basal leaves, and rather large 

 heads of both tubular and radiate flowers, solitary at the ends of the branches, or of the 

 monocephalous scape. Involucre hemispheric or broadly campanulate, its bracts herbaceous, 

 imbricated in 1 or 2 series, nearly equal. Receptacle convex or conic, naked. Ray-flowers 

 white or pink, pistillate. Disk-flowers yellow, perfect, their corollas tubular, the limb 4-5-toothed. 

 Anthers obtuse and entire at the base. Style-branches flattened, their appendages short, tri- 

 angular. Achenes flattened, obovate, nerved near the margins. Pappus none, or a ring of 

 minute bristles. [Latin, pretty.] 



About 9 species, natives of the northern hemisphere. Only the following are known to occur 

 in the United States, but 2 others are found in Mexico. Type species: Bellis pcrcnnis L. 

 Stem branched, 6'-is' high ; involucral bracts acut' . 1. B. integrifolia. 



Scapes monocephalous, i'-j' high; involucral bracts obtuse. 2. B.peremus. 



26 



