Aster. COMPOSITiE. 121 



with somewhat longer and more acute green tips, make a near approach to 

 A. sagittifolius /3. ; and we have observed the ordinary form of the species to 

 assume a similar state, when cultivated for a few years in fertile soil and 

 more open situations. Perhaps the A. paniciilatus, Ait. was founded upon 

 a plant of this kind. The A. cordifolius of the Northern and Middle States 

 is a very uniform and well-marked species. 



32. A. sagittifolius (Willd.) : stem strict, glabrous, racemose-compound 

 above ; the branches ascending, rigid ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, somewhat 

 hirsute-pubescent or nearly glabrous, serrate, attenuate-acuminate; the ra- 

 dical and lower cauline elongated ovate-oblong, cordate at the base, on slender 

 narrowly margined petioles; the others narrowed into a winged petiole ; the 

 uppermost lanceolate or nearly Hnear, acuminate at each end, sessile, often 

 entire ; heads numerous, in strict and dense compound racemes, on very 

 short peduncles ; scales of the cylindraceous involucre linear-subulate, ap- 

 pressed at the base, rather loose above; achenia glabrous. — Willd. spec. 3. 

 jj. 2035.? Nees, Ast. p. 56? {Lindl. ! in herh. Hook.); HooTc. ! fi. Bor.- 

 Am. 2. p. 9; DC. I.e.? {not of Ell.) A. paniculatus, Muhl. ! herh. (at 

 least in part) ; Ell. sTc. 2. p. 365 ; Darlingt. ! Jl. Cest. p. 464 ; not of Nutt., 

 nor of Nees, S^-c. A. urophyllus, Lindl. in DC. I. c. ? 



(3. heads less crowded on the rigid branches ; scales of the involucre lan- 

 ceolate-subulate, or lanceolate with acute or acuminate tips ; cauhne leaves 

 (varj'ing from ovate to ovate-lanceolate) often nearly all cordate, thickish. 

 (Varies, with the leaves, as well as the upper part of the stem, either almost 

 glabrous, or scabrous-pubescent, or with the lower surface almost tomenlose.) 



Woodlands and low rich soil, Canada (Lake Huron, Dr. Todd! and 

 Montreal, Mr. Cleghorn ! in herh. Hook.) and on St. Peter's River, Mr. 

 Nicollet! Western New York, Dr. Sartivell! and Pennsylvania! to Georgia! 

 and Missouri ! (i. Western States, from Ohio ! and Indiana ! to Wisconsin ! 

 and St. Peter's River ! Aug.-Oct. — Stem 2-4 feet high, branched above ; 

 the racemose (pubescent) flower-branches panicled, rather erect. Leaves 

 slightly ciliate ; the radical ones more or less cordate, or cordate-sagittate at 

 the base (the sinus often closed), 2-5 inches long, and 1-2 broad, on petioles 

 2 to 6 inches in length ; the upper cauline diminishing successively in size and 

 width; those of the branches narrowly lanceolate and linea?-, reduced on the 

 ultimate branchlets or peduncles to subulate bracts. Heads small (mostly 

 larger than those of A. cordifolius), in crowded racemes, often almost sessile, 

 or shorter than the bracteal leaves which subtend them. Scales of the invo- 

 lucre (as long as the disk) not very numerous, subulate from a rather broad 

 pale appressed base to an acute point ; the midrib and upper portion usually 

 green. Rays about 12, narrow, purple or bluish, sometimes white; the disk 

 yellow or turning purple. — This species is well characterised by both El- 

 liott and Darlington, under the name of A. paniculatus. Possibly it is not 

 the original A. sagittifolius ; but, as it is certainly the plant of Hooker, and 

 accords very well with Willdenow's description, and tolerably with that of 

 Nees, it will perhaps be safe to retain the name, which is not inappropriate 

 when applied to the radical leaves. It passes insensibly into our var. (3. ; 

 which generally presents larger and more scattered heads, a somewhat tur- 

 binate involucre, with broader scales, which, however, always have slender 

 pointed green tips ; and the rays are sometimes bright blue : tliey are, as it 

 were, intermediate between A. sagittifolius, A. cordifolius, and A. undulatus; 

 but probably do not pass into the two latter. 



33. A. Drummondii (Lindl.) : stem and lower surface of the leaves can- 

 escent with a soft velvety pubescence ; cauline leaves oblong-ovate, cordate, 

 or crenatc-serrale, tapering to an acute point, strigose or scabrous above, on 

 margined petioles; the uppermost ovate-lanceolate and sessile; heads in 

 strict and mostly dense thyrsoid racemes paniculate at the summit of the 



vol.. II.-16 



