312 COMPOSITE. RuDBECKiA. 



diet.; Ait. Kew. {ed. 1) 3. p. 251 ; Willd. ! enum. 2. p. 921 ; Pursh! I. c. ; 

 Ell. I. c. ; DC. I I. c. R. laciniata /3. angustifolia, Pers. syn. 2. p. 476. 

 R. Ia3vis, Hoffm., ex DC. 



Moist thickets, Canada! to Alabama! Western Louisiana! and to near 

 the sources of the Missouri! July-Sept.— Stem 4-8 (in 0. 3-4) feet high, 

 Rays bright liijht yellow, oblanceolate, 1-2 inches long. Radical leaves sca- 

 brous on both sides ; the divisions and segments often long and very narrow, 

 sometimes rhombic-ovate. — The var. 0. is common in the mountains of North 

 Carolina. 



12. R. heterophylla : cinereous-pubescent; leaves minutely tomentose be- 

 neath, scabrous above ; the lower petioled, pinnately 3-5-parted or divided, 

 the oblong divisions sparingly toothed, the terminal one cuneiform and mostly 

 3-cleff, the upper siraple,"ovate, slightly petioled, strongly serrate, acute; 

 heads somewhat corymbose ; rays drooping ; achenia prismatic, with a short 

 coroniform denticulate pappus. 



Middle Florida, Dr. Chcqmian! — Plant smaller in all its parts than R. la- 

 ciniata, with the upper leaves evenly dentate-serrate throughout. Disk glo- 

 bose, and the receptacle conical, perhaps elongated when old. Chaff cunei- 

 form-oblong, minutely canescent at the summit, slightly pointed. Pappus 

 shorter than in R. laciniata. 



§ 2. Scales of the involucre feiv ; the exterior spreading, the innermost erect, 

 similar to the chaff of the spiicform elongated receptacle : the disk at length 

 columnar : rays tvith abortive achenia : branches of the style terminated by 

 a very short and obtuse cone : achenia of the disk as long as the obtuse chaff, 

 acutely 4-sided ; the pajjjms continuous with its summit, sheathing the lower 

 portion of the corolla, irregularly toothed or lacerate-denticulate ; that of the 

 ray small with a short coroniform pappus. — Macrocline. . 



13. R. maxima (Nutt.) : very smooth and glabrous throughout, somewhat 

 glaucous ; leaves large, membranaceous, broadly oval or ovate-oblong, cre- 

 nate-denticulate or e'ntire, feather-veined and reticulated, the radical and 

 lower cauline petioled; the upper clasping, either tapering at the base or 

 cordate ; head usually solitary on a long peduncle ; rays large, drooping ; 

 chaff pubescent at the summit. — Nutt. ! in trans. Amer. phil. soc. I. c. p. 354. 



Plains of Red River, Nuttall .' Moist pine woods and along shady 

 streams, Western Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas, Dr. Leavenworth ! and 

 near Alexandria, Louisiana, Dr. Hale! June-Aug. — Stems 4-9 feet high, 

 " growing in extensive masses" {Nutt.), stout, striate. Leaves 8-10 or 12 

 inches long, and 4-5 broad, "but little inferior in size to those of the Cab- 

 bage" (iV«H.), obtuse or slightly acuminate ; the numerous veins diverging 

 from the strong midrib, reticulated, the upper ones usually converging to the 

 apex. Rays 10-15, usually 2 inches in length, oblong-hnear, bright yellow, 

 much longer than the linear scales of the involucre. Disk fuscous, at length 

 frequently IJ to 2 inches in length, and columnar, 9 to 10 hnes in diameter; 

 the receptacle a narrow cylindrical and pointed rachis. Corolla of the disk 

 brownish-purple ; the teeth erect. Style with a large bulb at the base. 

 Achenia 3 lines long, usually somewhat compressed ; the pappus perfectly 

 continuous with thesummit of the achenium and of the same texture, be- 

 coming scarious at the summit, sometimes nearly half as long as the imma- 

 ture achenium itself and including the lower half of the corolla, but often 

 shorter. — This and the following species might be considered as a separate 

 genus with nearly the same reason as Dracopis, which they closely resemble 

 in their receptacle, involucre, &c. : but as to the pappus they do not greatly 



