112 COMPOSITiE. Aster. 



rather strongly ciliate in var. /3. ; the margins frequently somewhat undulate 

 or remoielv deniiculate. Involucre equalling or rather shorter than the disk, 

 composed "of numerous scales somewhat closely imbricated in several series, 

 rather rigid, often ciliate; the exterior shorter, almost wholly herbaceous; the 

 inner with more acute slightly spreading herbaceous summits. " Rays rose- 

 purple, 30-40, iVw«." Achenia rather broad, compressed, narrowed at the 

 base as if slightly stipitate, 4-nerved, resembling those of A. Amellus, but 

 smaller and minutely hairy. Papjjas brownish. — The descripiion of the 

 achenia is drawn from var."^/3., which differs from Dr. Lindley's plant only 

 in the particulars mentioned above. 



15. A. Chilensis (Nees) : stem racemose-decompound, hairy above in 

 lines; the heads somewhat corymbose or racemose at the summit of the 

 branches ; leaves lanceolate, acute, crenate-serrate, clasping, scabrous on 

 both sides; those of the peduncles small, oblong, scpiarrose; scales of the 

 broadly obovate involucre closely imbricated, oblong, with obtuse spatu- 

 late herbaceous summits; achenia pubescent-hirsute when young. Nees, 

 Ast. p. 123,- DC. prodr. 5. p. 245. A. Radula, Less, in Linrxfa, 6. p. 125. 



(3. leaves scarcely scabrous, except near the margins of the upper surface; 

 the cauline narrowed towards the base, partly clasping. — A. spectabilis ? 

 Hook. SfArn..' hot. Beechey, p. 146. 



California, Chamisso. [3. Monterey, California, Capt. Beechey f— The 

 plant collected in Cajit. Beechey's voyage is smoother than that described by 

 Nees, but it accords in other respects. It is possible that the specimen of 

 HsenUe was also collected in California, instead of the mountains of Chili; 

 as great confusion wirh regard to the localities is said to exist in his collec- 

 tions. It has certainly much affinity with the Concinni, where Nees places 

 it, but apparently more with the Amelli. The heads are rather smaller 

 than in A. Amellus ; the herbaceous tips of the involucral scales are loose or 

 somewhat spreading, with a slight membranaceous margin, somewhat cili- 

 ate, otherwise glabrous; the innermost about the length of the disk, rather 

 acute. Young achenia compressed, clothed with a somewhat silky pu- 

 bescence. 



* ♦ Heads (large) suhglobose, terminating the leafy Iranches : scales of the involucre 

 (rather few a7id large), somewhat equal in length, imbricated in 2 or A series, folia- 

 ceous, except the base, and nearly similar to the (small) oval or lanceolate, usually 

 silky, sessile and entire mucronate leaves, both sides of which are similar in appear- 

 ance : achenia glabrous, angled or compressed, many ribbed. — Sericei. 



16. A. sericeus (Vent.) : stems slender, numerous from the same root, 

 glabrous below, branched; leaves silvery-canescent on both sides with a 

 dense appressed silky pubescence, lanceolate or oblong, closely sessile, mu- 

 cronulate, obscurely 3-nerved ; heads mostly solirary terminating the short 

 canescent branchlets; scales of the involucre similar to the uppermost leaves, 

 silvery, squarrose-spreading, the coriaceous base appressed ; achenia many- 

 ribbed, glabrous.— Ten^ hort. Cels. t. 33; Pursh! Ji. 2. p. 548; JXult. ! 

 gen. 2. p. 155 ; Nees, Ast. p. 51 ; DC. ! procLr. 5. p. 233. A. argenteus, 

 Michx.! fl. 2. p. 111. 



j3. leaves and scales of the involucre rather narrowly lanceolate, less sil- 

 very. — A. montanus, Nutt. ! gen. I. c. 



Prairies and dry banks of rivers, nearly confined to the valley of the 

 Missis-sippi and its tributaries: Arkansas! Mississippi! Missouri! Illinois! 

 to Wisconsin ! N. W. Territory ! Tennessee and N. Carolina near the moun- 

 tains, Nuttall! (var. /3.) Schiceinitz ! Aug.-Oct.— Plant 10-20 inches high 

 (said to become a little shrubby at the base by cultivation in Europe), very 

 elegant ; the densely silvery-canescent leaves half an inch to an inch long, 



