N. ORD—COMPOSITA. 89 
Tribe.—SENECIONIDEA. 
GENUS.—GNAPHALIUM,* LINN. 
SEX. SYST.—SYNGENESIA SUPERFLUA. 
GNAPHALIUM. 
EVERLASTING. 
SYN.—GNAPHALIUM POLYCEPHALUM, MICHX.; G. OBTUSIFOLIUM, 
LINN.; G. CONOIDEUM, LAM. 
COM. NAMES.—FRAGRANT EVERLASTING, LIFE EVERLASTING, OLD 
FIELD BALSAM, WHITE BALSAM, INDIAN POSEY, CAT FOOT, SILVER 
LEAF, NONE-SO-PRETTY; (FR.) IMMORTELLE, LE COTONNIERE; (GER.) 
IMMERSCHON RUHKRAUT. 
A TINCTURE OF THE WHOLE PLANT GNAPHALIUM POLYCEPHALUM, MICHX. 
Description.—This persistent, annual herb, usually grows to a height of from 
1 to 3 feet. Stem erect, terete, and floccose-woolly; édvanches numerous at the 
summit, either glabrous or minutely viscid-pubescent when the wool is off. Leaves 
alternate, closely serrate or slightly amplexicaul, but never decurrent, somewhat 
aromatic, thinnish, all lanceolate or linear, narrowed at the base, and mucronately 
acute or acuminate at the tip, soon bare and green, or viscid-puberulent above ; 
margins entire, often finely undulate. /nxflorescence in terminal-paniculate, or 
cymose, glomerules; Zeads numerous, ovate-conoidal before expansion, then obo- 
vate, all discoid and heterogamous; zxzvolucre woolly only at the base;  dracts 
oblong, obtuse, thin, dull white, becoming somewhat rusty-colored, pluriserially- 
“imbricate, without tips or appendages; receptacle flat, chaffless, and bractless. 
Flowers fertile throughout, arranged in several rows; corona filiform-tubular, 
shorter than the style; azthers with slender tails. Hermaphrodite flowers, very 
few; styles two-cleft, the branches mostly truncate. Akenes terete, lightly 3- to 4- 
nerved, smooth and glabrous; fappus a single row of scabrous, capillary bristles, 
each free at the base and falling separately. 
History and Habitat—This species is indigenous to North America, where 
it ranges from Florida and Texas northward to Canada and Wisconsin. It grows 
upon old fields and in quite open, dry woods, and blossoms from July to October, 
The Everlastings formed a part of aboriginal medication, and from there they 
descended to the white settlers, who, in conjunction with the more or less botanic 
physicians, used them about as follows: The herb, as a masticatory, has always 
been a popular remedy, on account of its astringent properties, in ulceration of the 
* Tvdpadoy, gnaphalon, a lock of wool; from the floccose appearance of any torn or broken end. 
