142 COMPOSITiE. Aster. 



the upper scabrous ; heads on short and rather rigid spreading peduncles ; 

 scales of the obovoid involucre narrowly linear, acute or acuminate, unequal, 

 imbricated in 3 or 4 series, with recurved-spreading herbaceous summits. — 

 Muhl. ! in IVilld. spec. 3. p. 2046 ; Pers. syn. 2. p. 446 ; Nees, Ast. p. 61 ; 

 Darlingl. ! Jl. Cest. p. 465 ; DC. prodr. 5. p. 234. 



/3. scaler : stem sparsely roughish-hirsute, or even hispid above ; leaves 

 less conspicuously attenuate towards the base, the upper surface very 

 scabrous. 



Moist woods and thickets. Western New York ! Pennsylvania ! Ohio ! 

 Kentucky! and probably throughout the Alleghany Mountains, p. West- 

 Chester, Pennsylvania, Darli7igto7i, Mr. Tou-nsend! {in herb. HooJc.) Sept. 

 -Nov. — Stem 1-4 feet high, angled, rather stout, usually pubescent only in 

 decurrent lines, or entirely glabrous below, bearing few or numerous pretty 

 large heads, in a terminal loose and expanding, simple or compound, or some- 

 what paniculate corymb. Leaves of a membranaceous rather firm lexture,. 

 veiny, lively green above, pale beneath, and frequently a little hairy along 

 the midrib ; the lower cauline 5-6, or even 8-10, inches long, the attenuate 

 lower portion 2-3 inches long, entire, not ciHate, more or less dilated and 

 auriculate-cordate at the insertion ; the uppermost, and those of the branches 

 smaller, and less narrowed below, less serrate, but otherwise similar; those 

 of the branchlets often linear and entire. Involucre glabrous, or minutely 

 pubescent under a lens. Rays rather large, pale violet, or in deep shade 

 nearly white ; the disk turning purplish. Achenia narrow, slightly cunei- 

 form, a little narrowed at the summit, contracted at the base as if somewhat 

 stipitate, scabrous-pubescent. Pappus unequal. — A very marked species, 

 imperfectly characterized by Willdenow, but accurately described by Nees 

 from dried specimens. It has never found its way into the gardens, and 

 appears to be known to few botanists ; yet, it is not uncommon within the 

 geographical range we have given. Distinct as the species certainly is, the 

 yaT^jS. (as Dr. Darlington has noticed) makes a near approach to A. puniceus, 

 and appears like a hybrid between the two. 



65. A. mutatus : stem hairy, racemose-corymbose ; the branches simple, 

 fastigiate, glandular-pubescent at the summit, terminated by single heads ; 

 leaves (membranaceous) lanceolate, very acute, slightly and remotely serrate, 

 pubescent both sides, partly clasping, the upper clasping by a broad base ; 

 scales of the hemispherical involucre narrowly linear-lanceolate, very acute, 

 foliaceous, loose, nearly in a single series, as long as the disk ; rays nume- 

 rous. — A. Unalaschkensis /3. ? major. Hook. ! fl. Bor.-Am. 2. p. 7. 



Saskatchawan to the Rocky Mountains, Drummond ! — Stem about 2 feet 

 high, pubescent with loose spreading hairs ; the branches slender, erect. 

 Leaves very thin, 3-4 inches long, tapering to a sharp point; those of the 

 branches smaller but similar, broader at the base and more clasping. Heads 

 about as large as in A. puniceus; the scales of the almost simple involucre 

 somewhat pubescent, loose or spreading. Rays (blue or pale purple?) about 

 30, rather narrow, much longer than the disk. Appendages of the style lan- 

 ceolate. Achenia (immature) compressed, ribbed, minutely pubescent with 

 scattered appressed hairs. — This plant has the involucre of an Alpigenous 

 Aster, but the receptacle is alveolate, &c. 



*********** Heads {large and showy) terminating the coryviiose or pani- 

 culate branches : scales of the involucre nuyiierous, in 2-several series, someuihat equal; 

 the short rather rigid base afpressed; tJie elo7igated foliaceous upper portion spreading 

 or squarrose : achenia villous or canescent, rarely glabrous : pappus slightly rigid : 

 rays nwmerous, 'purple vr violet: leaves lanceolate or linear-oblong, vwstly entire, 

 sessile, often partly clasping: brancMets and involucre often glandular, viscid, or 

 gramdar- picberuUnt. — Grandiflori. 



