108 COMPOSITE FAMILY. 



37. ERIGERON, FLEABANE. (Name of Greek words, for spring and 

 old man, suggested probably by the hoary appearance of some vernal species.) 

 Erigeron speci6sum of Oregon is occasionally cultivated as a garden 



perennial, is more showy than any of the following, which are the common 

 wild species of the country. 



§ 1. Rays conspicuous : heads more or less cori/mbed : stem erect. 

 * Raus purple or purplish, very numerous (50- 150) ; pappus simple. 2/ 



E. Philadelphioum, Common F. Low grounds : 2° high, rather hairy, 

 with oblong mostly entire and partly clasping stem-leaves, spatulate and toothed 

 root-leaves, and several heads ; the rays very many and narrow, pale reddish- 

 purple : fl. summer. 



E. bellidif61ium, Daisy-leaved F. or Robin's Plantain. Moist 

 ground, soft-hairy, 1° -2° high, with a cluster of rather large roundish root- 

 leaves lying Hat on the ground, the stem-leaves rather few and small ; heads 

 1-9 and long peduncicd, rather large, with about 50 linear light bluish-purple 

 rays : fl. late spring. 



* * Rays white, only about 30, rather broad : pappus simple. 21 



E. v6rnum. Low grounds from Virginia S. ; smooth, with oval or spatu- 

 late leaves all at the root, slender scape 1° - 2° high, with a few small heads : 

 fl. spring. 



* * * Rays white or nearly so, 50 or more, narroio : pappus double, the outer of a 

 row of minute chaffy bristles or little scales. ® @ 



E. Strigdsum, Smaller Daisy-Fleabane. Fields : 2° - 4° high, 

 smoothish, or roughish with minute close-pressed hairs ; leaves entire, the 

 lower spatulate and slender-petioled, the upper lanceolate ; rays pretty long : 

 fl. all summer. 



E. dnnuum, Larger Daisy-Fleabane. Fields and waste places ; a 

 common weed, .3° -5° high, branched above, roughish with spreading hairs; 

 leaves ovate or lance-ovate, the lower ones coarsely toothed ; rays rather short, 

 often tinged with purple : fl. all summer. 



§ 2. Rays inconspicuous, scarcely longer than the cylindrical bell-shaped involucre 

 and the simple pappus, numerous, in more than one row. 



E. Canadense, Horseweed or Butterweed. A common weed in waste 

 or cult, ground, bristly hairy ; with erect strict stem 1° - 5° high, linear leaves, 

 only the lowest ones cut-lobed, and very small panicled heads of whitish flowers, 

 all summer. ® 



38. BOLTONIA. (Named for J. Bolton, an English botanist.) Wild 

 plants of low grounds S. & W., resembling Asters except in the akenes and 

 pappus : ray-flowers blue-purple or nearly white ; disk-flowers yellow ; in 

 autumn. 2/ 



B. difftisa, of Illinois & S., has small heads loosely panicled on the slender 

 open branches, which bear small awl-shaped leaves, those of the stem lance- 

 linear ; pappus of several bristles and 2 short awns. 



B. glastif61ia, from Penn. S. & W., has fewer larger and corymbed heads, 

 lanceolate partly erect leaves, broadly winged akenes, and 2 or 3 short awns in 

 the pappus. 



B. asteroides, from Penn. S., less common, is very like the last, but 

 with narrow margins to the akenes and no awns (only a few short bristles) in 

 the pappus. 



39. BRACHYCOME. (Name in Greek means short tujl, from the pap- 

 pus, in which respect mainly it difl^ers from the Daisy-genus.) 



B. iberdif61ia, cult, for ornament, from Australia, has slender branching 

 stems nearly 1° high, pinnately i)arted leaves with very slender divisions, and 

 handsome heads with violet-blue ray-flowers and similar or darker purple 

 centre, produced all summer. (I) 



