944 



COMPOSITAE 



Aster 



— 30 



Map 2060 



Aster senceus Vent 



50 



Map 2061 



Aster pilosus Willd. 



25. Aster pilosus Willd. (Aster ericoides var. villosus T. & G. and 

 Aster ericoides of authors, not L.) Heath Aster. Map 2061. In south- 

 western Indiana this species is called goodbye meadow, which is a very 

 appropriate name for it there because it soon forms dense stands in fallow 

 fields and in meadows (hay fields) . Frequent to abundant in all parts of 

 the state in dry soil, in fallow fields, meadows, and open woodland and 

 along roadsides. It should be regarded as an obnoxious weed because of its 

 ability to crowd out other vegetation and because of its success in spread- 

 ing widely by means of its wind-borne seed. It has a wide range of 

 habitats, but is most at home in a clay soil. In good soil it reaches a height 

 of over 3-4 feet, while a depauperate specimen growing in hard soil along 

 the roadside may not be over a foot high. It is, also, rather variable. The 

 involucres of my 40 specimens vary from 3.5-6.5 mm long. The bracts 

 vary from 3-5 series. 



Maine to Minn., southw. to Fla. 



25a. Aster pilosus var. platyphyllus (T. & G.) Blake. (Aster ericoides 

 var. platyphyllus T. & G.) This variety was described by Torrey and 

 Gray in the Flora of North America 2 : 124. 1841, and they cite a specimen 

 from Indiana collected by Dr. Clapp, who did his collecting in the vicinity 

 of New Albany. It was also reported by Lyon from Porter County, and 

 Peattie duplicated Dr. Lyon's report. I have seen this specimen and it 

 is the common form of the species. This variety is described, in part, as 

 follows: "Cauline leaves pubescent-hirsute, lanceolate; the lower ones 

 oblong-spatulate", and with larger heads. I have specimens from Clark 

 and Kosciusko Counties which I refer to this variety. These have leaves 

 which are 20-30 mm wide. A specimen from Owen County approaches 

 this variety, and my Jennings County specimen has a leaf 18 mm wide, 

 while those of ordinary specimens are mostly less than 8 mm wide. 



Ohio to Mich, and 111., and southw. 



25b. Aster pilosus var. demotus Blake. (Aster ericoides in part of Gray, 

 Man., ed. 7.) This variety is glabrous or nearly so; otherwise it is like 



