278 COMPOSITiE. Silphium. 



/3. lower leaves opposite ; the upper alternate but approximate in pairs, on 

 short petioles ; all ovate-lanceolate and entire. 



}'. stem somewhat hirsute or hispid ; lower leaves opposite or alternate, 

 petioled, coarsely sinuate-toothed or incised. — S. qnercifoliura, DC. ! prodr. 

 5. p. 513. S. lanceolatum, Nutt. in trans. Amer. phil. soc. I. c. 



Dry woods and fields, western part of N. CaroHna, Mr. Curtis! to Geor- 

 gia, 'Elliott! Dr. Boyldn! and Alabama, Mr. Bucldeij ! June-Sept. — 

 Stem 2-5 feet high. Leaves 3-5 inches long, 1-liwide; the lower on 

 petioles 1-3 incheslong. Heads smaller than in S. Asteriscus. Rays 8-15. 

 Achenia with narrow wings, which are very slightly produced at the apex, 

 ■which is therefore broadly" and slightly emarginate, minutely ciliate, some- 

 times with 2 minute callous rudiments of the awns or teeth. — This plant 

 bears so much resemblance to the smoother forms of S. Asteriscus, varying 

 also like that species with either glabrous or hispid stems, and with the leaves 

 slif^htly, or very coarsely and sinuate-incisely toothed, that we can only dis- 

 tinguish them with certainty by the achenia; and hence we sliould have hes- 

 itafed to consider it a distinct species, had notditferent states of it been so re- 

 garded by Elliott, De Candolle, Mr. Curtis, &c., apparently without reference 

 to the achenia. We expect that tliis character will yet prove inconstant, and 

 that all the varieties will be included under S. Asteriscus. 



7. S. Asteriscus (Linn.) : stem terete, hispid ; leaves oblong or oval-lan- 

 ceolate, irregularly and often coarsely serrate with scattered teeth, scabrous- 

 hirsute both sides; the u])])er alternate and sessile; the lower mostly oppo- 

 site, often ternately verticillate ; the lowest on short hirsute petioles ; heads 

 solitary or somewhat corymbose ; scales of the spreading involucre foliace- 

 ous, ciliate, the exterior hispid-scabrous, ovate, acutish, the inner large and 

 obtuse ; achenia obovate-oval ; the rather broad wings projecting beyond the 

 summit into 2 triangular acute lobes, united with the short subulate spreading 

 teeth.— -Linn. .' spec. 2. p. 920; Lam. ill. t. 707; Miclix. ! fi. 2. p. 146; 

 Purslu I. c. ; Ell. sk. 2. p. 469 ; DC! prodr. 5. p. 513. Asteriscus Co- 

 ronaj-Solis, &c.. Dill. Elth. U 37, /. 42. 



ji. IcEvicaule (DC! 1. c.) : stem and sometimes the peduncles smooth and 

 glabrous or nearly so; lower leaves elongated, often coarsely toothed or sinu- 

 ate-incised, tapering into petioles.— S. scabrum, Walt. Car. p. 217. S. As- 

 teriscus fl. scabrum, Nutt. s^en. 2. p. 183.? 



Dry sandy soil, Virginia! to Florida! and Louisiana! common. June- 



Aug. Stem 2-4 feethigh. Leaves very scabrous above, less so beneath, 



varying from broadly lanceolate-oblong to rather narrowly lanceolate, from 

 nearly 'entire to very coarsely toothed. Heads large, with 12-15 elongated 

 rays. Achenia moderately winged ; the subulate teeth often breaking away 

 more or less from the wing, sometimes projecting beyond it, but usually 

 shorter. 



8. S. IfEVigatum (Pursh 1 Ell.) : smooth and glabrous ; stem terete, slightly 

 angled above ; leaves coriaceous, opposite, lanceolate-oblong, acute or acu- 

 minate at both ends, remotely serrate-toothed, minutely hispid-ciliate ; the 

 lower tapering into margined petioles; the uppermost nearly sessile andob- 

 tuse or even "slightly cordate at the base, often entire; heads (small) in a 

 loose corymb ; scales of the involucre ovate, ciliate, obtuse, squarrose; ache- 

 nia oval-obovate, narrowly winged, emarginate and slightly toothed at the 

 summit.— S. Isvigatum, Ell. sk. 2. p. 465, not of Pursh, ex char,, but pro- 

 bably the plant collected by Enslin. 



Prairies &c. of the western part of Georgia {Elliott, Sec.) and Alabama, 

 Mr. BucMo/! July-Sept.— Stem 2-3 feet high, stout. Leaves very 

 smooth, except tlie marguis; the lower 6-8 inches long and 2 in width ;_ the 

 uppermost much smaller. Resembles S. scaberrinium, except that it is 

 smooth, with smaller heads ; and the achenia not more than half the size, 



