15)8 coMi'OsiT.K. (coMrosiTi'; iamilv.) 



3 S. tortifolius, Xccs. Closely pulusciiit ; k-avcs sliort, olxivatc, inrc-Iy 

 senato, vertical ; involiure top-shaped ; the seales oi)lon;^ and slightly spreadin<j 

 at the tips; pajjpiis eo])i<)US, white. (Aster tortifolius, Mirh.r) — Sandy jiinc 

 biin-eiis, Florida to North Carolina, and westward. Auj;iist. — Stem \°-2° 

 liigh. Leaves 1' long. 



16. ASTER, Tourn. Aster. Star wort. 



Heads HKiny-flowcred ; the rays (white, blue, or purple) in a single scries, pis- 

 liliaie. Scales of the involucre more or less imbricated, mostly with herbaceous 

 or leafy tips. Receptacle flat, pitted. Achenia usually compressed. Pappus a 

 single row of numerous rough capillary bristles. — Perennial (rarely annual) 

 herbs. Leaves alternate. Disk-flowers yellow, often changing to jjurple. 

 § 1. BiOTlA. — Involucre olioculc-heU-slia pnl ; the scales {pale) clostlij iinhricaled, 

 unci ncarli/ destitute of lierliaceous tips: achenia somewhat S-aryled: bristles vf the 

 pappus rii/i(l : leaves lan/e ; the lower ones cordate : heads corymbed. 



1. A. COrymboSUS, Ait. Stem slender, smooth ; leaves on slender ])cti- 

 olcs, thin, coarsely serrate, acuminate ; the lower ones cordate, the upper oblong; 

 involucre shorter than the disk, the scales obtuse; rays G-9, white. — Shady 

 woods in the upper districts, Georgia and northward. Sept. and Oct. — Stem 

 l°-2°high. Leaves 2' -4' long. Corymbs loose. 



2. A. macrophyllus, L. Stem stout, rough-pubescent ; leaves large, 

 rather thick, rougii, nmc ronate-scrrate, acute ; the lowest broadly cordate, on 

 slender naked ])etioles ; the upper ovate, on short and winged petioles ; invo- 

 lucre nearly as long as the disk ; the exterior scales rigid, with spreading fringed 

 tips; rays about 10, jiale purple. — Low shady woods, in the upper districts of 

 Georgia, and along the mountains, northward. Sejjt. — Stem li°-2° high. 

 Leaves 4' - 6' long, 2' - 4' wide. 



^ 2. Cai-liastrum. — Scales of the involucre imbricated in severed rows, coriaceous, 

 usuallii with herUrcrous spreading tips: rays i2 or viore: achenia nearly smooth : 

 pappus of unequal rather rigid bristles, somewhat thickened upward : leaves rigid, 

 none of them cordate : heads large and showy. 



3. A. rairabilis, Torr. & Gray. Rough-pubescent ; stem corymboscly 

 branched above ; leaves ovate, inucronatc-serratc, sessile ; the lowest abrujjtly 

 narrowed into a jietiolc ; involucre hemispherical ; the scales oblong-linear, ob- 

 tuse .ind recurved at the summit; achenia nearly smooth, striate. — Columbia, 

 South Carolina, Prof Giblm. Sept. — Stem 1 ° - 2° high. — Stem-leaves 1 ' - 3' 

 long. Rays about 20, blue or violet, elongated. 



4. A. spectabilis, Ait. Stem corymbose and glandular-pubescent above ; 

 leaves oblong-lanceolate, rough on the upper surface, sessile and entire; the 

 lowest tapering into a i)etiole, and sparingly serrate ; heads not numerous, single, 

 terminating the branches ; involucre nearly hemispherical, as long as the disk; 

 the scales linear-oblong, with obtuse and si)rcading glandular tips. (A. surcu- 

 losus ? Ell., with obovate-oblong, mostly serrate leaves, and broader scales of the 

 involucre.) — Pine barrens, Florida and northward. Sept. and Oct. — Rhizoma 

 slender. Stem 1°- 2° high. Leaves 2' -4' long. Heads ^' in diameter. Rays 

 about 20, 1' long, deep violet. 



