15-2 ' COMPOSITE. Aster. 



cffispitosus, Hort. A. adulterinus, Lindl. hot. reg. t. 1571. Symphotrichium 

 unctuosum, Nees ! Ast. p. 135. 



North America. (?) According to Pursh, it is found " in overflowed 

 grounds from New York to Virginia ; rare : Oct.-Nov." — But, notwith- 

 standing the annexed v. v. we greatly doubt if Pursh ever met with this 

 plant in North America : the phrase he gives is composed of the Linnsean 

 description combined with that of Alton. — This species is remarkable for 

 its very corymbose habit, thickish or somewhat succulent very smooth leaves 

 (the upper cauline and those of the branches mostly entire), and the thick 

 and foliaceous exterior scales of the involucre, which resemble the leaves of 

 the branchlets. Heads middle-sized. Rays lilac. Achenia nearly glabrous. 

 Bristles of the pappus slightly united at the base, and separable from the 

 achenium in the form of a ring. 



96. A. mutabilis {Liinu.) : leaves lanceolate, serrate ; involucre squarrose ;" 

 panicle somewhat fastigiate. Linn. spec. {eel. 2) 2. p. 1230. 



North America. — The specific phrase in the first edition of the Species 

 Plantarum is merely "A. foliis lanceolatis, calycibus imbricatis basi squar- 

 rosis" ; and the only synonym adduced is, " A. caeruleus Americanus non 

 fruticosus serotinus angustifolius, flore amplo floribundus," Pluk. aim. p. 56, 

 i. 326, f. 1. (which represents a narrow entire-leaved plant with small 

 heads) : to this Linnajus adds, that it difi'ers from A. serotinus (but he has no 

 A. serotinus!) in the more closely imbricated involucre, the deep purple 

 rays ; and that the disk-flowers, at first yellow, change to purple. In the 

 second edition, Linnteus adds the synonym 'A. Novi-Belgii latifolius pani- 

 culatus, floribus saturate violaceis," Herm. Lugcl. 65. t. 67 ; and compares 

 it with A. Tradescanti, adding to the former remarks, that it may readily be 

 distinguished by the recurved -squarrose leaves of the peduncles and involu- 

 cre, the exterior scales of the latter not larger than the others. — The A. mu- 

 tabilis of the Hortus Kewensis is thus characterized : " Leaves somewhat 

 clasping, lanceolate, serrate, smooth, tapering below ; branchlets virgate ; 

 calyx somewhat foliaceous, lax ; stem glabrous." Ait. I. c. Nees cites 

 Alton's plant both under his own A. mutabilis and under a variety of his A. 

 eminens ; while he adduces the synonym of Linnaeus, with a query, to his 

 A. squarrulosus, which, however, he suspects {Ast. p. 89) may be no more 

 than a variety of A. eminens. Our specimen of A. mutabilis from the 

 Berlin garden appears not to differ essentially from the A. squarrulosus of the 

 same garden, except that it is a stouter plant : we have met with no indi- 

 genous specimens of either. The A. mutabilis of Lindley, &c., and proba- 

 bly of Nees, we take to be a form of A. Isevis. 



97. A. versicolor (Willd.) : stem paniculate-compound ; the branches 

 simply corymbose at the summit, dense ; leaves oblong-lanceolate, acumi- 

 nate, very smooth, of the same color both sides ; the lo"wer serrate in the 

 middle, the upper clasping, entire ; scales of the involucre imbricated, lan- 

 ceolate. Nees. — Willd. spec. 3. p. 2045, c^ enum. 2. p. 885; Nees, Ast. p. 

 127 ; DC. prodr. 5. p. 246. 



North America, Willdenoiu. -—'■'■ Upper leaves entire, the lower with a few 

 serratures, glabrous ; the radical oblong, tapering at each end, serrate in the 

 middle. Flowers very showy, considerably crowded at the summit of the 

 branches. Disk yellow- Rays large, at first white, afterwards deep violet, 

 so that the plant exhibits both violet and white flowers at the same time, 

 which has a very pleasing effect." Willd. — Scales of the involucre, as in A. 

 mutabilis, triangular-lanceolate, narrow. Achenia pnberulent. Nees. — We 

 have met with no indigenous Aster which accords with the A. versicolor of 

 the Berlin garden ; and we know not what plant Pursh had in view, to 

 which he assigns the habitat : " In old fields and on the borders of woods, 

 New Jersey to Carolina." Elliott remarks that the plant which passes under 



