78 PROCEEDINGS OP THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN BOTANY. 

 By Asa Gray. 



Presented June 9, 1880. 



I. Notes on some Coynpositce. 



As the portion of the Synoptical Flora of North America which 

 contains this order, now under elaboration, cannot immediately be 

 published, it will be advantageous to fix some of the results already 

 reached by a few notes and characters. 



VERNONIA. Tlie North American species, although few, are 

 difficult, both on account of variation and probable hybridization. 

 The principal change from Torrey and Gray's Flora now made is 

 the restoration of V\ altissima, Nutt., standing between V. fasciculata 

 (to whicb some of it had been referred) and V. Baldwinii or V. Nove- 

 boracensis. A good new species comes in under the name of 



Vernoma Lettermanni, Engelm. in litt. V. Jamesii et V. fasci- 

 cuIafCB affinis, glaberrima, Lisvis ; foliis angustissime linearibus eveniis 

 integerrirais planis ; capitulis numerosis paniculato-cymosis peduncu- 

 latis lanatis cylindraceis 10-14-floris (semipoUicaribus) ; involucri 

 bracteis acutis vel acuminatis adpressis inappendiculatis, externis 

 ovato-subulatis, intimis angnsto-lanceolatis purpureis ; acheniis secus 

 costas panim scabris. — Aikansas, on Cooper's Creek, Dr. J. M. Bige- 

 low, and on sand-bars of the Washita, Lettermann. 



Ageratum LiTTORALE is the name adopted for the Ccelestina 

 maritima of Torr. & Gray, Fl. ii. 64, which is not Afjerntum mariti- 

 mum, II BK., that being a true Ar/eratum with diminutive pappus. 

 A species of the Florida coast is likely to occur on shores of the Gulf 

 and West Indies ; but this has not yet been identified elsewhere. 



EuPATOKiuM AMBiGUUM, Ilook. This name comes up in place of 

 E. pnrvljiorum, Ell., non Swartz. E. detonicum and E. uissectdm 

 are ConocUnium betonicum, DC. (of which var. suhinlegrum is prob- 

 ably E. Harlwegi, Benth.), and O. dissectum, Gray, PI. Wright. 



