COMPOSITE FAMILY 



hills and far away as he takes his course toward work 

 and care — a memory of whiteness and purity. 



SWEET BALSAM. FRAGRANT EVERLASTING 



Gnaphdlium obtusifolium 



Annual or winter annual. A white, fragrant herb, 

 found especially in old fields, pastures, and open woods. 

 Nova Scotia to Ontario and Manitoba, southward to 

 the Gulf. July-September. 



Stem. — Softly woolly because of many matted white 

 hairs, one to three feet high, usually branched at the 

 top. 



Leaves. — Alternate, narrow, oblong, or linear-lanceo- 

 late, sessile, acute or acutish; the lower often obtuse at 

 apex, tapering toward the base, white woolly beneath, 

 smooth and commonly green above. 



Flower-heads. — Discoid-composite, oblong, few flow- 

 ered, all florets tubular; pistillate florets in outer rows, 

 perfect florets in the centre; borne in loose flattish clus- 

 ters. Receptacle flat. Bracts of involucre white, papery, 

 shining, in many rows, closely appressed, not opening 

 until the seeds mature, often slightly tinged with brown 

 at base; the lower ones slightly woolly at base. Seeds 

 smooth and small; pappus slightly tawny. 



This is the fragrant Annual Everlasting with oval 

 heads that do not expand until the seed is mature. 

 It is a plant of the open, thrives in old fields and dry 

 woods. The small, white, urn-shaped heads are borne 

 in little groups of three to six, which are gathered into 

 a loose, bushy, flattish cluster at the summit of the 

 stem. The color effect of the entire plant is white. 

 In the centre of the white cups is a yellow spot made 

 up of tiny yellowish florets, whose color is due to the 



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