ICG COMPOSITE. AsTKR. 



closely imbricated, with rather short, but conspicuous, squarrose or reflexed 

 herbaceous lips. Rays large, thrice the length of the involucre, blue or 

 violet. Achenia narrow and slender, many-striate, somewhat shorter than 

 the rather rigid (brownish or ferruginous) unequal pappus ; the innermost 

 bristles of which are manifestly thickened towards the apex. Appendages 

 of the style subulate-lanceolate, and at length recurved or reflexed, as in 

 Biotia. — This very interesting species furnishes additional evidence of the 

 propriety of re-uniting Biotia with Aster; being exactly intermediate in cha- 

 racter and appearance between that group and our subgenus Calliastrum. 

 We have received it only from Professor Gibbes of Charleston, South Caro- 

 lina, who collected it at Columbia in the year 1835. The Biotia commixta, 

 a plant of unknown origin cultivated in the European gardens, which is said 

 to have a squarrose involucre, has (fide descr. Nees,) oblong-lanceolate and 

 partly clasping upper leaves, a very compound corymb, glutinous pubescence, 

 and an involucre resembling Aster macrophyllus, as long as the disk ; the 

 scales oblong-lanceolate, acute, 6zc. &c. — This species should be placed at 

 the commencement of the section Calliastrum, before A. Radula. 



§ 3. Aster proper, iSu&flJiv. Concinni, p. 115. 



131. A. gracilenius : very smooth and glabrous throughout; stem slender, 

 strict, simple, loosely paniculate or somewhat corymbose at the summit; 

 cauline leaves linear, elongated, with very scabrous margins, slightly clasp- 

 ing, acute or acuminate ; the lower coarsely toothed or incised above the 

 middle, the upper entire ; those of the branches and branchlets very small 

 and numerous, erect, linear-subulate; scales of the obovoid involucre (much 

 shorter than the disk) closely imbricated in 3 or 4 series, apjjressed, lanceo- 

 late, acute ; the exterior very short ; achenia glabrous. 



Lincolnton, North Carolina, Mr. M. A. Curtis /—Stem rigid, purple, 2-3 

 feet liigh, branching only at the summit ; the branches and branchlets slender, 

 spreading, terminated by solitary heads, which are smaller than in most 

 states of A. tevis. Lower (cauline) leaves 5-6 inches long, about 3 lines 

 wide, 1-nerved, obscurely reticulate-veined, somewhat shining above, pale 

 beneath, rather rigid, furnished towards the apex on each side with 3 or 4 very 

 coarse and spreading irregular teeth, or appearing somewhat pinnately incised : 

 upper cauline similar, but successively shorter, and entire. Involucre very 

 short ; the green tips small and inconspicuous ; the exterior lanceolate-subu- 

 late ; the inner larger, lanceolate-linear, less acute, often tinged with purple. 

 Rays about twice the length of the disk, blue or violet. Ovaries minutely 

 pubescent, but the achenia perfectly smooth and glabrous, similar to those of 

 A. Insvis, &c. — We have described this species from a single specimen, 

 which is however so remarkable that it is scarcely liable to be confounded 

 witli any other. 



27. ERIGERON. Linn. (excl. spec.) ; Null. gen. 2. p. 146. 



Erigeron, Stenactis, &; Phalacroloma, DC. ; and also Polyactidium 1 & Heterochaeta^ 



Heads mostly hemispherical, many flowered; the ray-flowers very nume- 

 rous and usually in more than one series, pistillate; those of the disk tubular, 

 perfect; or some of the exterior (rather transformed ray-flowers) filiform- 

 tubular and truncate, pistillate. Scales of the involucre mostly equal, nar- 

 row, in a single or somewhat double series. Receptacle flat, naked, punctate 

 or scrobiculate. Appendages of the style very short and obtuse. Achenia 

 compressed, usually pubescent, coinmonly with 2 lateral nerves. Pappus a 

 single series of capillary scabrous bristles, rather few (12-30) in number, 



