Aster. COMPOSITE. 141 



rays numerous, showy. — Linn. ! hort. Cliff, p. 408, ^' spec. 2. p. 875 ; Ait. 

 Keiv. {ed. 1) 3. p. 208; Michx.! fl. 2. p. 115; Willd. spec. 3. p. 2040; 

 Pursh ! fl. 2. p. 554 ; Hook. ! fl. Bor.-Am. 2. p. 10 ; Darlingt. ! fl. Cest. p. 

 465 ; DC. ! prodr. 5. ^;. 236. A. Americanus latifolius, puniceis caulibus, 

 Herm. Lvgd. p. 649, t. 651. A. hispidus & A. amoenus, La7n. diet. 1. p. 

 306, fide Michx. Sf Nees. A. altissimus, Mill. diet. — Varies; with the stem 

 (which is commonly purple, and densely hispid with rough and short spread- 

 ing pointed hairs,) sometimes rather hirsute with longer and softer hairs, and 

 sometimes more sparsely hispid or in lines, or below only hispid-scabrous : 

 in size, 3-6 feet high ; or rarely 1-2 feet high (A. puniceus, var. demissus, 

 Lindl. hot. reg. t. 1636) : in the size of the heads equalling A. Novae-An- 

 glise, especially when scattered; or considerably smaller; frequently very 

 numerous and corymbose-paniculate : the leaves varying from rather nar- 

 rowly lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or oblong, or the lower even obovate- 

 oblong ; either narrowed near the base, or cordate-clasping ; the teeth scat- 

 tered or more numerous, small, sometimes obscure, occasionally conspicu- 

 ous ; their texture, when growing in shade, thin and then moderately sca- 

 brous above ; in exposed situations thicker, very scabrous above, and even 

 somewhat so beneath. 



8. firmus : stem lower, stout, often angled, smooth and glabrous below, 

 towards the summit slightly hairy or hispid, either sparsely or in lines ; 

 leaves moderately or slightly scabrous above ; exterior scales of the involu- 

 cre rather broader and more foliaceous ; " rays bluish-lilac." — A. firmus, 

 Nees, Ast. p. 66 (v. sp. in hort. Berol.) ; DC. prodr. 5. p. 235, excl. syn. 

 Ell..' A. vimineus, Lindl..' in HooJc. fl. Bor.-Am. I. c. in part. (Lake 

 Huron, Dr. Todd ! Stem a little more hairy.) 



y. vimineus : stem smooth and glabrous below; somewhat pubescent or 

 hispid in lines near the summit and along the branches; leaves lanceolate, 

 attenuate-a(;uminate, usually minutely and sparingly serrate towards the 

 middle, clasping by the auriculate base, inore or less scabrous above, very 

 glabrous beneath ; exterior scales of the involucre rather broader and more 

 foliaceous. — A. vimineus, Willd. sjoec. 3. p. 2046, fide Nees, (not o? Lam.) ; 

 Spreng. syst. 3. p. 538 (excl. syn.) ; Nees, Ast. p. 68 ; DC. I. c. ; Lindl. ! 

 in herb. Torr. — Varies ; with the stem (pale or purple, often angled, usually 

 branching in a pyramidal or thyrsoid manner) either almost entirely gla- 

 brous, or more or less hispid in lines, or eveu with scattered bristly hairs ; 

 the branches all short, "ascending (A. vimineus /3. Nees; leaves smooth 

 above) ; or the lower ones elongated; the leaves (mostly 4-6 inches long and 

 5-10 lines wide) sometimes nearly smooth above, &c. 



Low grounds and swampy thickets, Canada! (from Hudson's Bay) and 

 rather common throughout the Northern States ! Sept.-Oct. — A well- 

 marked species, varying somewhat in appearance when it grows in wet 

 shady places. We are perfectly satisfied that A. firmus and A. vimineus of 

 Nees are only varieties or states of this species : the latter is a form which 

 the plant assumes in deep shade ; and we have seen specimens with the 

 stem quite as hispid as in ordinary states of A. puniceus, and even with the 

 midrib beneath pubescent with the same kind of hairs. We also consider 

 the A. luxurians /3. Lindl.! in Hook.fl. Bor.-Am. I. c. (Canada, Mrs. Per- 

 cival!) to be a state of this species. — The leaves are ordinariK' pretty large 

 and uniform. The rays are numerous, rather large, violet-purple, varying 

 in shade to pale lilac-blue; the disk turning purplish or brownish; the ache- 

 nia minutely and sparsely pubescent. 



64. A. prenanthoides )Muhl.) : stem pubescent or hirsute above mostly in 

 decurrent lines, paniculate-corymbose at the summit ; leaves spatulate-Ian- 

 ceolate or lanceolate-oval, incisely serrate in tlie middle with sharp spreading 

 teeth, conspicuously acuminate, tapering into a long narrow base like a 

 winged petiole, with a cordate-clasping insertion ; the lower surface smooth, 



