T HE SU NFLOWERS 



cies, Sunflower Crownbeard, Verbeslna helian- 

 thoides, may be grouped with these well-known 

 and attractive plants. In roadside thickets of 

 Ohio it stands four to six feet high compan- 

 ioned by the Sunflower group, its flower-head a 

 trifle smaller than the others, and marked by 

 its globular disk of dark yellow florets. This 

 disk in fruit becomes a very perfect little ball, 

 bristling with winged two-toothed akenes. The 

 rays are clear yellow, about three-fourths of an 

 inch long. The stem is always four-winged by 

 the decurrent bases of the alternate leaves. This 

 is a determining character. The plant is not so 

 beautiful as the Sunflowers proper, but it is 

 sufficient to add its quota to the joy and 

 beauty of the season. 



All the Sunflowers are interesting and beau- 

 tiful plants; in autumn we may hope to find 

 them upon every roadside and in every thicket 

 tangle. They do not contribute so greatly to 

 the yellow of the season as do the Goldenrods, 

 but they have a beauty and dignity quite their 

 own. The books record many species, but 

 these well represent the type. 



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