COMPOSITE. (composite FAMILY.) 301 



leaves, and racemose-panicled mostly nodding heads. Flowers greeuish-whitft 

 or yellowish, often tinged with purple ; late summer and autumn. Our specie* 

 belong to the subgenus N'dbalus. The original European species has soft 

 white pappus, (xvame frcm irpr]u-f]s, drooping, and &u9r), blossovi.) 



-t- Heads rather broad, 25 -35-JIoivered, in a corymbose panicle. 



1. P. crepidinea, Michx. Somewhat smooth ; stem stout (.5-9° high), 

 bearing numerous aodding heads in loose clusters; leaves large (6- 12' long), 

 broadly triangular ovate or halberd-form, strongly -toothed, contracted intc 

 winged petioles; ])appus brown. (Nabalus, DC.) — Rich soil, Penn. and 

 western N. Y. to Minn., and southward. — Flowers cream-color. 



* * Heads narrow, 8 - \5-Jlowered, in a long raceme-like or thyrsoid inflorescence , 



stems simple ; cauline leaves sessile ; pappus straw-color. 



t- Inflorescence pubescent, strict; heads nearly erect, 12 -15 flowered. 



2. P. racemosa, Michx. Stem 2-5° high, smooth and glaucous, as 

 well as the oval or oblong-lanceolate denticulate leaves ; the lower tapering 

 into winged petioles (rarely cut-pinnatifid), the upper partly clasping; heads 

 in crowded clusters ; flowers purj)lish. (Nabalus, DC ) — Plains, N. Maine to 

 N. J., Mo., and northwaid. — Var. PiNNAxfriDA, Gray, the leaves all lyrately 

 pinnatifid. Hackensack marshes, N. J. 



3. P. aspera, Michx. Stem 2 - 4° high, rough-pubescent, as well as the 

 oval-oblong or broadly lanceolate toothed leaves; upper leaves not clasping; 

 heads in small cluste)-s ; flowers larger, cream-color. (Nabalus asper, Torr. ^• 

 Graij.) — Dry prairies and barrens, Ohio to Iowa, and southward. 



-*- -I- Whole plant ulabrous ; heads nodding, 8- \2flowered ; thi/rse looser. 



4. P. virgata, Michx. (Slender Rattlesnake-root.) Slightly glau- 

 cous ; stem 2-4° liigli, prolonged into a naked and slender spiked raceme (H- 

 2° long) ; heads clus tered and mostly unilateral ; leaves lanceolate, acute, 

 closely sessile, the up[)er reduced to bracts, the lower toothed or pinnatifid ; 

 involucre (purplish) oi about 8 scales. (Nabalus, DC.) — Sandy pine barrens, 

 N. J. to Va., and soulliward. 



5. P. Mainensis, Gray. Stem 2° high, leafy; leaves as in n. 2, but the 

 radical ovate and more abruptly narrowed to the short petiole ; heads persist- 

 ently drooping on slender pedicels. — St. John's River, N. Maine (Pringle), 

 Perhaps a hybrid between n. 2 and 7. 



* * * Heads o-IS-flowered, racemose or paniculate, commonly pendulous' 



leaves variable, mostly petiolate, the lower cordate or truncate or hastate at base. 



+- Involucre cylindrical ; scales scarious-margined, the outer very short, appressed, 



•*■* Pappus reddish-brown ; stem tall, generally purplish. 



6. P. alba, L. (White Lettuce. Rattlesnake-root.) Smooth and 

 glaucous (2-4° high) ; stem corymbose-panicled at the summit; leaves angu- 

 late or triangular-halberd-form, sinuate-toothed or 3-5-cleft, the uppermost 

 oblong and undivided; involucre (purplish) of about 8 scales, 8 - 1 2-flo\vered 

 (Nabalus, Z/oo/:.)-- Borders of rich woods; common, especially northward. 



■<-<■ ++ Pappus dirty straw-color or whitish ; leaves very variable. 



7. P. serpent^ria, Pursh. (Lion's-foot. Gall-of-the-earth.) Nearly 

 smooth; stem corymbose-panicled at the summit, commonly 2° high; leaves 



