Aster. COMPOSITE. 113 



crowded on the brandies ; the radical ones oblanceolate, sessile, about 3 

 inches long, distinctly 3-nerved. Heads showy, but variable in size. Rays 

 20-25, half an inch or more in length, deep violet-blue. Achenia evidently 

 compressed when mature. Pappus tawny, equal. 



17. A. phylloleins : stems slender, loosely branched ; leaves erect, lanceo- 

 late, closely sessile, mucronulate, somewhat hairy or canescent when young; 

 those of the branches crowded, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate-cuspidate, ap- 

 pressed, ciliate with long spreading hairs ; heads mostly solitary terminating 

 the branchlets ; scales of the involucre similar to the ujiper leaves, loosely 

 imbricated in 2-3 series, glabrous except the fringed margins, reticulated, 

 conspicuously acuminate-mucronate, nearly equal in length; achenia linear, 

 angled, striate or ribbed, glabrous. — A. sericeus /5. microphyllus, DC. I. c.l 

 A. ciliatus, Nutt. in trans. Amer. ])]iil. soc. (n. scr.) 7. p. 295, not of Walt. 



Texas, Berlandier? Drnwmond! Western Louisiana, Dr. Leavenworth! 

 Dr. Hale! — Plant 10-18 inches high, with virgate somewhat pubescent or 

 hairy branches. Leaves coriaceous, pale, scabrous, somewhat 3-nerved, 

 obscurely reticulated, gradually reduced in size from an inch or more to 4-5 

 or 6 lines in length ; the upper ones more crowded, evidently reticulated, and 

 conspicuously ciliate with long spreading hairs, which are, however, some- 

 Avhat deciduous. Scales of the hemispherical involucre oval or ovate, or the 

 innermost lanceolate, few, as long as the disk. Heads as large as in the 

 preceding, or sometimes smaller. Rays about 25, elongated, purple. Ache- 

 nia scarcely compressed. Pappus nearly equal, reddish-brown. 



♦ * * Heads (?niddle-sized) racemose ; scales of the turbinate or obovoid involucre im- 

 bricated in several series, rather rigid, silky, the exterior successivelij shorter, alt with 

 short herbaceous tips : corolla of tlve disk as well as the (12-15) rays purple or violet : 

 achenia silky-viUous : leaves small, lanceolate or oblong, entire, closely sessile, pale^ 

 when young canescent, of the same color and appearance both sides. — Concolores. 



18. A. concolor (Linn.) : stem simple or sparingly branched, virgate ; 

 leaves crowded, oblong-lanceolate, mucronulate, minutely silky both sides, 

 or sometimes nearly glabrous when old ; the up])er ones acuminate-mucro- 

 nate, appressed ; heads in a simple or compound virgate raceme ; scales of 

 the involucre lanceolate, acute, somewhat appressed; achenia silky-villous. 

 —Linn. ! spec. {ed. 2) 2. p. 1228 ; Walt. ! Car. p. 209 ; Michx. ! fi. 2. p. 

 Ill ; Willd. spec. 3. p. 2029 ; Pursh! jl. 2. p. 448 ; Nutt. ! gen. 2. p. 116 ; 

 Ell. ! sk. 2. p. 350 ; Nees, Asl. p. 115 ; DC. ! prodr. 5. p. 243. A. caule 

 simplicissimo, &c. Gronov. ! fl. Virg. ed. 2. p. 123. A. foliis lanceolatis 

 sessilibus alternis, &c. Gronov. ! I. c. p. 125. 



Dry sandy soils, and in pine barrens. New .Jersey ! to Florida ! and Louis- 

 iana ! Aug.-Nov. — Plant 1-3 feet high, with somewhat the habit of a Lia- 

 tris, sometimes with a tuberous root, often simple or branched only towards 

 the base, and bearing the heads in a long virgate raceme, o!i short (erect or 

 recurved) peduncles, which are furnished with minute bract-like leaves, 

 frequently branching above and bearing several shorter racemes or some- 

 times solitary heads. Leaves 1-3 nerved, often obscurely reticulated, rather 

 rigid, grayish; the lower about an inch long, and partly clasping; the upper 

 successively reduced in size, oval or lanceolate, mucronatc or cuspidate. 

 Pappus rusty or reddish. 



19. A. Menziesii (Lindl.) : leaves, as well as the stem, canescent with a 

 somewhat scabrous pubescence, lanceolate or oblong-linear, closely sessile, 

 acute; lieads racemose ; scales of the involucre ol)tuse, somewhat S([uarrose. 

 — Lindl. ! in Hook. fl. Bor.-Am. 2. p. 12, f^- DC. prodr. 5. p. 243. 



Oregon, Menzies ! — Leaves all slightly auriculatc and clasping at the 



VOL. II.-15 



