coMrosiT^E. (composite family.) 239 



thin scales. — Hoary or woolly herbs, with alternate pinnately lobcd or divided 

 leaves. Heads corymbcd. Flowers commonly white. 



1. H. scabiosaeus, L'Herit. Hoary-tomentose ; stem corymbosely 



branched ; leaves pinnatilid or the lowest bipinnatifid, with lanceolate or oblong 

 divisions ; scales of the involucre broadly obovate, longer than the disk ; pappus 

 minute. — Light dry soil, Florida to South Carolina, and westward. April and 

 May. — Stem 2° high. Leaves at length smoothish above. 



59. HELENIUM, L. 



Heads many-flowered, radiate ; the rays pistillate, wedge-shaped, 3 - 5-cleft. 

 Scales of the involucre in 2 rows ; the outer ones linear or subulate, spreading, 

 the inner fewer and chaffy. Receptacle naked, convex, globose, or oblong. Co- 

 rolla of the disk 4 - 5-toothed. Aehenia top-shaped, furrowed, hairy. Pappus 

 of 5 - 8 membranaceous pointed or awned 1-nerved scales. — Erect branching 

 herbs, with the stem winged by the alternate decurrent leaves. Heads terminat- 

 ing the branches. Flowers mostly yellow. 



* Disk globose : coroUa of the disk mostly 5-cleft. 



1 . H. autumnale, L. Smooth or minutely pubescent ; leaves lanceolate 

 .or oblong, serrate, strongly decurrent ; scales of the involucre linear-subulate ; 



scales of the pappus ovate-lanceolate, denticulate, awn-pointed; rays 3 -5-cleft, 

 longer than the disk. — Damp soil, Florida, and northward. Aug. and Sept. — 

 Stem 2° -4° high. Aehenia hairy. 



2. H. parviflorum, Nutt. Smooth ; leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceo- 

 late, sparingly serrulate, scarcely decurrent ; scales of the involucre filiform ; 

 rays 3-cleft, narrow ; aehenia smooth ; pappus awned. — Georgia, Nuttall. — 

 Heads smaller than the last. 



3. H. tenuifolium, Nutt. Smooth ; stem slender, very leafy ; leaves 

 narrow-linear, entire ; heads on long and slender peduncles ; scales of the in- 

 volucre subulate ; scales of the pappus ovate, entire, abruptly awned ; aehenia 

 villous. — Road-sides, West Florida, and westward. September. — Stem 1° - 2° 

 high. Branches erect. 



* * Disk conical or olilong : corolla mostly 4-cle/l. 



4. H. quadridentatum, Labill. Smoothish ; lowest leaves oblong, 

 pinnatifid ; the upper ones lanceolate, entire ; rays shorter than the oblong disk ; 

 scales of the pappus roundish, obtuse. — River-banks and damp soil, North Car- 

 olina, and westward. Qj — Stem much branched, l°-3° high. 



60. LEPTOPODA, Nutt. 



Heads many-flowered, radiate; the rays neutral, 3-4-cleft. Disk-flowers 

 4 -5-toothed. Scales of the involucre in 1-2 rows, spreading; the exterior 

 leafy, numerous ; the interior short and chaffy. Receptacle conical or hemi- 

 spherical, naked. Aehenia short, truncate at each end, striate. Pappus of 6 - 12 

 scarious toothed or fimbriate scales. — Perennial herbs. Stems mostly simple, 

 naked above. Leaves alternate. Heads solitary. Flowers yellow or purple. 



