326 LXXV. COMPOSITE. Erigeron. 



purplish, channeled, simple, smooth, branching above into a large, level-topped, 

 compound corymb of showy flowers. Leaves narrow, entire, 4—6' in length, 

 those of the branchlets smaller. Rays about 12, white. Disk yellow. Aug. Sept. 

 /?. amygdalinus. St. roughish above, green ; branches of the corynib divaricate ; 

 Ivs. broader. — Gluite diflerent in aspect from variety a. Common. 



3. D. coRNiFOLics. Less. (Aster cornifolius. MiM.) 



St.. smooth below, scabrous and slightly paniculate above, few-flowered ; 

 Ivs. elliptical, acuminate, entire, tapering to the base, with scattered hairs, 

 rough-edged ; invol. scales imbricate, shorter than the disk. Grows in woods, 

 N. and Mid. States. Whole plant nearly smooth, erect, 1 — 2f high. Leaves 

 acute at the base, paler beneath, on very short stalks. Flowers few, large ; 

 outer scales very short. Rays about 10, white. July, Aug. 



13. ERIGfiRON. 



Ctr. rip, the spring, yepuv, an old man ; because it is hoary early in the season. 



Heads many-flowered, subhemispherical ; ray-flowers 9 very rni- 

 merous (40 — 200), narrow, linear ; flowers of the disk ^ ; receptacle 

 flat, naked ; involucre nearly in 1 row ; pappus generally simple. — 

 Herbs with alternate Leaves. Rays cyanic. 



§ Rays longer than the involucre. Mostly 7].. 



1. E. BELLiDiFOLiuM. Muhl. (E. pulchcUum. Mx.) Robbies Plantain. 

 Hirsute ; radical Ivs. obovate, obtuse, subserrate ; stem Ivs. remote, mostly 



entire, lance-oblong, acute, clasping; hds. 3 — ^7, in a close, terminal corymb; 

 rays nearly twice longer than the involucre, linear-spatulate. — Dry fields and 

 thickets, U. S. and Can. Stem erect, simple, sometimes stolinilerous, 1 — 2f 

 high. Leaves 2 — 3' by 6 — 9", mostly broadest above the middle. Rays 60 — 

 100, bluish (rarely reddish)-purple. This is our earliest species, flowering in 

 May and June. Resembles the following. 



2. E. Philadelphicum. (E. purpureimi. Ait.) Narrow-rayed Robin's PI. 

 Pubescent or hirsute ; Ivs. thin, lower spatulate, crenate-dentate, upper ob- 



long-oblanceolate, narrowed to the clasping (sometimes cordate-auriculate) 

 base, subserrate ; hds. few, on long, slender peduncles ; raijs very numerous, 

 filiform, more than twice longer than the involucre. — Woods and pastures 

 throughout N. Am. Stem slender, 1 — 3f high. Leaves 2 — 4' by 6- — 9", lower 

 much attenuated at base, upper acute. Rays 150 — 200 ! reddish-purple or flesh- 

 colored, nearly as slender as hairs. Jn. — Aug. 



/?. 1 Ricardi. Caulinc Irs. cordate-ovate. Meriden, N. H. Rickard ! 



y. St. stout, with coarsely serrate leaves. 



3. E. HETEROPHYLLUM. Muhl. (E. annuum. Pers.) Common Fleabane. 

 White-weed. — St. hispid with scattered hairs, branching ; Ivs. hirsute, 



coarsely serrate, the lowest ovate, contracted at base into a winged petiole, stem 

 leaves ovate-lanceolate, sessile, acute, the highest lanceolate; rays very numei- 

 ous and narrow. — A common weed, in fields and waste grounds. Can. to Penn. 

 and Ky. Stem thick, 2 — 4f high, striate, terminating in a large, difi"use, co- 

 rymbose panicle of large heads. Rays white or purplish, 100 or more, short. 

 June. — Aug. 



4. E. sTRiGosDM. Fleabane. White-weed. Daisy. 



Hairy and strigose ; Ivs. lanceolate, tapering to each end, entire or with a 

 few large teeth in the middle, lower ones 3-veined and petiolate ; panick co- 

 rymbose ; pappus double. — A rough weed in grassy fields, Can. and U. S. Stem 

 about 2f high, slender, furrowed, with close, short, stiff hairs, and bearing a 

 large, loose corymb. Leaves also with close-pressed bristles, sessile. Rays 

 very narrow, white. June — Oct. 



13. (E. integerrifolium. Biv.) St. simple, smooth; Ivs. entire, pubescent; fls.' 

 corymbed. Rays 100 — 150. 



§ § Rays shorter than the involucre. Plants ® or (f). 



5. E. DivARicATUM. Michx. 



Decumbent and difi'usely branched, hirsute ; Ivs. linear and subulate; /ids. 



