26 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



splendid clusters as a possible farewell to their favorite 

 season. 



When we recall the sunflower nature it is no surprise 

 to find the race most abundant in the dry prairies of the Mid- 

 dle West and in the barrens of the Southern States. A cloudy 

 and dripping sky has no charms for them and but few have 

 adapted themselves to the conditions necessar}' to the exten- 

 sion of their range to the Atlantic seaboard. 



To those who have never seen the prairie species, the word, 

 sunflower, usually calls up the image of that coarse denizen of 

 back yards and ash-piles Hclianthus aiuutus. This, however, 

 is regarded by many as an interloper in our territory, proper- 

 ly belonging in Brazil, and no more to be considered typical 

 of the race than the average Brazilian would be of our own. 

 In the typical prairie sunflowers, the disk is reduced to the 

 minimum and the chief glory of the flowers resides in the long 

 and broad ray-flowers. From tip to tip of the rays, the flow- 

 ers are often more than five inches across and of this diameter 

 the disk seldom occupies the space of an inch. Great diver- 

 sity of branching is found in the various species. Some bear 

 only a few- large flowers at the top of the stem, others branch 

 from the very base, making a tall pyramid of bloom. 



The brightness which the sunflowers give to the early 

 autumn days, has made them prime favorites with the gard- 

 ener. Various species, but these not always the best, are to 

 be found in the catalogue of every up-to-date nurseryman. 

 One of the most frequent is H. orgyalis a fine plant whose 

 long, very narrow leaves makes it most conspicuous among the 

 other broad-leaved members of its tribe. Another species that 

 presents as great a contrast is H. inoUis with broad downy 

 leaves of silky softness. The majority of the species are 

 rough and harsh to the touch, and Helianthus scaberrimus, 

 as its name indicates is the roughest of the lot. Its heads are 

 of medium size and have brown disk florets instead of the 



