COMPOSITAE. 



[Vol.. III. 



I. Melampodium cinereum DC. 



Pale Melampodium. 



(Fig. 3864.) 



Melampodium cinereum DC. Prodr. %: 518. 1836. 



Perennial, woody at the base, branched, canes- 

 cent, 4'-l2' high, the liranches slender. Leaves 

 linear, lanceolate, or the lower spatulate, sessile, 

 entire, undulate or sinuate, l'-2' long, i^"-3" 

 wide, obtuse or obtusish at the apex; heads 

 S"-i4" broad, terminating the branches; pe- 

 duncles slender, l'-3' long; outer bracts of the 

 involucre ovate or oval, obtuse, united below; 

 rays 5-9, cuneate-oblong, white, 2-3-lobed; inner 

 bracts turbinate or terete, hooded, muricate, 

 the hood wider than the body. 



In dry soil, Kansas to Arizona, Texas and Mexico. 

 June-Oct. 



50. SILPHIUM L. Sp. PI. 919. 1753. 

 Tall perennial herbs, with resiuous juice, opposite or alternate leaves, and large corym- 

 bose or paniculate (rarely solitary) peduncled heads of both tubular and radiate yellow 

 flowers. Involucre hemispheric or campanulate, its bracts imbricated in few series. Re- 

 ccptacle'flat or nearly so, chaffy, the chaff subtending the disk-flowers. Ray-flowers in 2 

 or 3'serics, pistillate, fertile, the ligules numerous, linear. Disk-flowers perfect but sterile, 

 their corollas tubular, 5-toolhed, the style undivided. Anthers minutely 2-toothed or 

 entire at the base. Achenes broad, dorsally flattened, 2-wingcd, notched at the apex. 

 Pappus none, or of 2 awns confluent with the wings of the achene. [Greek, from the 

 resinous juice.] 



About 12 species, natives of North America, known as Rosin-weed or Rosinplant. 

 Stem leafy, the leaves opposite, alternate, or verticillate. 



I Leaves, or their petiole-bases, connate-perfoliate; stem square. 



Leaves not connate-perfoliate, sessile or petioled. 



Leaves opposite, or the uppermost alternate; cauline sessile. 

 Leaves, or some of them, verticillate in 3's or 4's, petioled. 

 Most or all of the leaves alternate, entire or dentate. 

 Leaves all alternate, pinnatifid or bipinnatifid, large. 

 Stem leafless or nearly so, scaly above ; leaves basal, large. 



1. 5. perfolialiim. 



2. 5'. integri/olium. 



3. S. trifoliatum. 



4. 5. Asteyiscus. 



5. S. lacinialtim. 



6. S. terebinlhmaceum. 



I. Silphium perfoliatum L. 



Cup-plant. Indian-cup. 



(Fig. 3865.) 



S'. perfoliatum L. Sp. PI. Ed. 2, 1301. 1763. 



Stem square, glabrous, or rarelj- some- 

 what hispid, branched above, or some- 

 times simple, 4°-S° high. Leaves ovate 

 or deltoid-ovate, opposite, the upper con- 

 nate-perfoliate, the lower abruptly con- 

 tracted into margined petioles, all thin, 

 usually scabrous on both sides, or pubes- 

 cent beneath, coarsely angulate-dentate, 

 or the upper entire, the larger 6'-i2' 

 long, 4'-S' wide; heads commonly numer- 

 ous, 2'-3' broad; rays 20-30, about I 'long 

 and 2" wide; involucre depressed-hemi- 

 spheric, its outer bracts broad, ovate, 

 ciliolate, spreading or erect; achenes ob- 

 ovate, emarginate, sonieliraes 2-toothed. 



In moist soil, southern Ontario to Minne- 

 sota, south to Georgia, Nebraska and Louisi- 

 ana. Naturalized near New York City. 

 Called also Ragged Cup. July-Sept. 



