134 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
TEST GARDEN 
This year, as in the past seasons, the policy of the Garden 
has been to test the various new plants listed by the seed 
firms. Many of these so-called novelties are listed for a num- 
ber of years, but occasionally some worth-while plant is 
found. 
Among our commonest autumn wildflowers are the hardy 
asters. They have small, yellow-centered, daisy-like flowers 
borne in long, loosely panicled sprays. There are about two 
or three hundred species of the genus Aster, just how many 
it is difficult to say, for they vary enormously and it is hard 
to decide where one species leaves off and another begins. 
They are so common in this country as to have escaped the 
notice of our American gardeners, but when several of our 
species were introduced into England their possibilities as a 
garden flower were soon recognized. They have now been 
grown in English gardens for over a generation under the 
name of ‘‘ Michaelmas daisies,’’ and the same variation which 
defies the botanist has resulted in many new garden forms. 
One of the features cf the 1924 test garden was a colleec- 
tion of over one hundred varieties of these repatriated Amer- 
icans. From mid-August until well into October they pro- 
vided a succession of bloom and were a bright spot of color 
in the garden. The later varieties were particularly effee- 
tive, as they had for a background the bright gold of a 
near-by clump of autumn sunflowers (Helianthus angusti- 
folius). It is naturally difficult to classify the Michaelmas 
daisies, as they are even more variable than the wild species 
from which they were derived. The following are among the 
more outstanding groups: 
Aster novae-angliae.—Tall plants 3-6 feet high; stem stout 
and usually not branching below; flowers large, rays 40-60, 
pink or purple; the entire plant very hairy. ‘‘Mrs. Raynor,’’ 
a good tall-growing pink, is illustrated in plate 39. 
Aster cordifolius—Leaves heart-shaped; plant of medium 
height, much-branched; flowers very numerous, small, light 
blue, exceptionally good for cutting. ‘‘Ideal,’’ a typical 
cordifolius, is illustrated in fig. 4 of pl. 39. 
