298 Blue to Purple Flowers 



campanulate, the bracts being narrowly lanceolate with acute 

 loose herbaceous tips. 



Aster major, or Great Northern Aster, has tall stems 

 which are leafy to the summit and very hairy. The leaves 

 are lanceolate, partly clasping by a narrowed base, acuminate 

 at the apex, sharply serrate, dark green above and rather 

 paler beneath. The purple flower heads are usually solitary 

 at the ends of short branches. The rays number thirty to 

 forty-five. 



Aster ciliomarginatus, or Hairy-margined Aster, has tall 

 round stems tinged with red. The basal leaves are smooth 

 with hairy-fringed margins, serrate, and tapering into wing- 

 margined petioles, the upper leaves are oblong and sessile. 

 The light blue flower heads are few in an open panicle, and 

 the linear involucral bracts are fringed with hairs on the 

 margins. 



Aster sihiricus, or Violet Aster, has broadly lanceolate 

 leaves, and solitary violet flowers terminating the corymbi- 

 form branches. The involucre is short, its bracts narrowly 

 lanceolate with acute loose herbaceous tips. 



BLUE FLEABANE 



Erigcron acris. Composite Family 



Stems: hirsute-pubescent, slender, simple or branched. Leaves: 

 pubescent, entire, the lower ones spatulate, the upper ones oblong, ses- 

 sile; involucre hemispheric, its bracts linear, hirsute. Flowers: rays 

 numerous, tubular; pistillate flowers filiform; pappus simple, copious. 



A very common species of Fleabane, w^hich has numerous 

 small flowers growing in a cluster at the top of each slender 

 stem, and also a few solitary axillary blossoms lower down. 

 The whole plant is hairy, the lower leaves being spatulate 

 and the upper ones oblong, all with smooth perfect margins. 



