106 COMPOSITiE. AsTKR. 



§ 2. Scales of the involucre imbricated in several series, coriaceous, with her- 

 baceous spreading or squarrose tips : receptacle alveolate : rays numerous 

 (12-30)." appendages of the style lanceolate : bristles of the fappus rigid, 

 unequal, a ])ortion of the inner more or less thickened towards the summit: 

 achenia narroiv, angled or striate, slightly or scarcely compressed : cauline 

 ■ leaves sessile, rigid; the radical never cordate: heads large and showy. 

 — Calliastrum. 



This section closely approaches Biotia tlu-oiigh Aster Radula, and Sericocai'pus 

 by A. gracilis: it appears to fonn a very natural group. The inner bristles of the 

 pappus become more rigid and more evidently thickened above as they grow old. 



3. A. Radvla (Ait.) : stem strict, glabrous, angled with decurrent lines, 

 somewhat corymbose at the summit; the branches few, nearly simple and" 

 naked, slightly pubescent; leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, 

 mostly narrowed towards the base, closely sessile, scabrous both sides and 

 somewhat rugose, sharply serrate, at least in the middle; involucre cam- 

 panulate-hemispherical, shorter than the disk ; the scales oblong, rather ob- 

 tuse, pubescent-ciliate, appressed, with slightly spreading herbaceous tips ; 

 achenia glabrous, linear-oblong, many striate. — Ait. Keio. {ed. 1) 3. p. 210 ; 

 Pursh, ft. 2. p. 6.56 ; Nees, A^. p. 43 ; Hook. ! jl. Bor.-Am. 2. p. 7 ; DC. ! 

 prodr. 5. p. 230. 



8. leaves ovate-lanceolate, or the lower ones somewhat obovate-oblong, 

 acute or slightly acuminate. — A. nudiflorus, Nutt. gen. 2. p. 157; Darlingt. ! 

 fl. Cest. p. 462; DC. l. c. 



Moist copses and low grounds. Nova Scotia {Aito7i) and Newfoundland ! 

 Lubeck, Maine, Mr. Oakes ! Near Boston and Salem, Massachusetts, 

 Nuttall ! Dr. Greene ! Dr. Pickering ! New London, Connecticut, Mr. 

 Roland ! Swamps of New Jersey, Dr. Sttivc, ex Nutt. " On the high 

 mountains of New York and Pennsylvania," Pursh. Bethlehem, Pennsyl- 

 vania, Schweinitz ! and near Westchester, Mr. D. Toivnsend! (the southern 

 forins more luxuriant and corresponding with A. nudiflorus, Nutt.) Aug.— 

 Sept. — Plant 1-3 feet high. Leaves numerous, 2-3 inches long, nearly 

 equal in size to the summit of the stem, varying from half an inch to more 

 than an inch in width, pinnately veined, rough, hairy on the veins beneath, 

 often entire towards the base ; the teeth sharp and salient, or sometimes 

 rather obtuse, mucronate. Heads few, large (smaller than in A. spectabilis), 

 1-3 upon each branch of the simple corymb; the oval-oblong or linear ob- 

 long (often acutish) scales of the involucre with bright green, sometimes 

 slightly spatulate tips, nearly glabrous except the margins. Rays numerous, 

 elongated, pale violet ; the disk yellow, turning brownish. Achenia nar- 

 rowly oblong or fusiform, turgid, slightly compressed when mature. Pappus 

 rather rigid ; the longer bristles somewhat thickened near the apex. — The 

 Pennsylvauian is larger than the Newfoundland plant, but otherwise they 

 perfectly accord. We have gathered this species in the Berlin Botanic 

 garden, under the name of Biotia commixta, var. stricta. 



4. A, biflorus (Michx.) : low ; stems very simple, slender, bearing two 

 (rarely a single) pedunculate heads at the summit; leaves broadly lanceolate, 

 very acute, remotely [and sharply] serrate ; scales of the appressed-imbri- 

 cate involucre lanceolate [heads large]. Michx. ! fl. 2. p. 1\5 ; Nees, Ast. 

 p. 39. A. strictus, Pursl^ fl. 2. p. .5-56, not of Poir. 



Around lakes and rivers which flow into Hudson's Bay, Michaua: La- 

 Ijrador, and on high mountains of Pennsylvania, Pursh. Labrador, Herb. 

 Schweinitz ! — The following particulars are added by Pursh, whose Labra- 

 dor plant {Herb. Banks.) is probably the same as Michaux's A. biflorus : 

 Plant from 4 inches to a span high : leaves scabrous : flowers middle-sized ; 



