116 COMPOSlTiE, Aster. 



23. A. Ifevis (Linn.): very smooth, often glaucous; stem loosely panicu- 

 late or somewhat corymbose at the summit ; leaves lanceolate, ovate-lanceo- 

 late, or oblong, coriaceous, very smooth, with scabrous margins, entire or 

 sparingly serrate ; the lower narrowed towards the base, or tapering into a 

 margined petiole ; the upper clasping and mostly somewhat auriculate or 

 cordate at the base ; those of the branches very small ; scales of the obovoid 

 involucre closely imbricated, appressed, rigid, lanceolate or broadly linear, 

 "with short abruptly acute or acuminate herbaceous tips ; achenia shining, 

 glabrous, or pubescent with a few scattered hairs. — Linn. ! S2}ec. 2. j). 876 ; 

 Ait. Kew. {ed. 1) 3. p. 206; Lindl. hot. reg. t. 1500; Darlingt. ! Ji. Cest. 

 p. 468. A.leevis, laevigatus, mutabilis, amplexicaulis, rubricaulis, & cyaneus, 

 Nees, Ast. -p. 128-132 ; DC. prodr. 5. p. 245 c^ 246. A. rubricauhs. Lam. 

 did. 1. p). 305. A. amplexicaulis, Muhl. ! in tVilld. spec. 3. p. 2046. A. 

 Pennsylvanicus, Poir. siijjpl. 1. p. 498, ex Nees. 



(3. more glaucous ; upper leaves cordate-clasping, oblong-lanceolate or 

 ovate-lanceolate ; scales of the involucre more numerous. — A. cyaneus, 

 Hoff7n. flnjtogr. bl. p. 71, t. B. f. 1 ; Pursh, ft.. 2. p. 550 ; Nees, I. c. ; 

 Lindl. bat. reg. t. 1495. A. glaucus & A. politus, Nees, synops. p. 23. A. 

 bupleurifolius, Hort. Monsp. 



y. leaves elongated lanceolate or linear-lanceolate. — A. leevigatus, Willd. 

 spec. 3. p. 2046? 



Borders of woodlands and thickets, Canada! to Georgia! Missouri! and 

 Saskatchawan ! common. Aug.-Oct. — A beautiful species, readily recog- 

 nized (notwith.sfanding some diversities in the foliage and the size of the 

 heads) by its polished and more or less glaucous stem and leaves (the former 

 2-3 feet high, often purple) ; the somewhat coriaceous regularly imbricated 

 and appressed scales of the involucre, which are white (slightly ciliate), with 

 a greenish midnerve, and short rhombic green tips; the heads middle-sized 

 or rather large ; and the numerous showy rays bright blue or indigo, changing 

 to violet. The flowers of the disk usually change to purple : the pappus be- 

 comes tawny or brownish. We entirely agree with Dr. Darlington in the 

 opinion that it is vain to separate the various forms of this plant into several 

 species. The large suite of specimens before us have been named for the 

 most part by several distinguished botanists, whose determinations so seldom 

 accord that we feel the greater confidence in our own opinion. We can 

 make nothing of the characters derived by Nees from the alveoli of the re- 

 ceptacle, whether naked, ciliolate, or piliferous. The radical leaves are 

 ovate, oval, or spatulate-oblong, serrate, on winged petioles which are usually 

 ciliate at the base; the earliest smaller, more rounded or obtuse, crenate- 

 serrate ; the cauline vary from 2 to 5 inches in length, and one-third to an 

 inch and a half in width, the broader ones often abruptly narrowed at the 

 base ; the upper surface shining ; the reticulations loose and manifest. 

 Branches of the inflorescence rather rigid, loose, few or numerous ; the 

 leaves gradually reduced to short lanceolate bracts. 



24. A. virgatus (Ell.): very smooth; stem strict; the branches few and 

 virgate, racemose at the summit ; leaves linear-lanceolate, entire, with sca- 

 brous or ciliolate-serrulate margins, partly clasping ; those of the branches 

 very small and numerous, erect, subulate-acuminate ; the lowermost taper- 

 ing at the base; the radical spatulate-oblong; scales of the somewhat hemi- 

 spherical involucre lanceolate, acuminate ; the exterior loose or slightly squar- 

 rose-spreading ; achenia glabrous. — Ell. ! sk. 2. p. 353. 



13. stem stout; the virgate branches numerous, somewhat compound ; heads 

 larger; lower cauline leaves oblong-lanceolate. 



y. stems slender, often simple ; cauline leaves elongated linear-lanceolate, 

 the margins more strongly ciliolate-scabrous. — A. attenuatus, Lindl. ! in 

 Hooh. compan. to hot. mag. 1. p. 97. 



Western districts of Georgia, Elliott! ft. Georgia, Dr. Boykin! y. Jack- 



