924: Liatris dubia. 
teristic, as the sessile or pedicellated flowers. After a very careful 
examination of the specimen from which the figure was drawn, by 
the descriptions of Pursh, Michaux, and Willdenow, together with a 
close scrutiny of all the specimens of the genus in the Muhlenber- 
gian Herbarium, I cannot, to my own satisfaction, refer the plant to 
any of the named species. Yet it is most probably not remote 
from the spheroidea, scariosa, or graminifolia. In this hesitation I have 
thought it best to add the doubtful mark, and let the figure and de- 
scription I have given, establish its proper place among the described 
species. 
The root is tuberous, and sends off a great number of long, slen- 
der, whitish, dry, fibrous portions. The stem is erect, in the speci- 
men figured, three and a half feet high, striated with whitish lines, 
covered with a sparse semi-hispid pubescence. The lower leaves are 
longer, and much wider than the upper, somewhat arcuate, very much 
dotted or pitted, glabrous, entire, sessile, and not scabrous on the 
margin. The costa is prominent, yellowish. The upper leaves are 
much smaller and quite linear, ciliated for the most part at the base, 
but some of them ciliated two-thirds of their length. The spike is very 
long, and leafy, the flowers being situated on long, leafy, pubescent 
pedicels. The calix is somewhat cylindrical or sub-globose, the scales — 
lanceolate, subacute and erect, slightly spreading at the bottom 
where the lowermost scales are ciliated. The corolla is tubulous and 
divided into five lanceolate, acute segments; and, together with the long, 
exserted anthers, are of a most brilliant and delicate violet colour. 
