■26. Spilanthes.] 78. COMPOSIT.E. 



seriate. Receptacle very conical and elongate with palese which 

 embrace the flowers. Disc fls. tubular with a spreading 4-o-fid limb. 

 Style arms of disc-fls. truncate, sometimes dilated at the tip. Cypsele 

 of disc visually laterally compressed. Pappus or of 2-3 bristles. 



1. S. acmella, L. 



A herb with long weak stems creeping at the base, sometimes 

 2-4 ft. long, or erect or ascending, ovate or lanceolate- serrate leaves 

 l*5-2'' long and pretty yellow heads "o" diam. Avith very prominent 

 centi'e, on long terminal peduncles. 

 Watery places, not common. Fl. Sept.-Dec. and pevhaps at other times. 



Var. a. typica. 



Leaves often coarsely toothed. Cypsele prominently hispidly ciliate 

 on the prominent margins and sometimes the faces shortly hairy. 



Sameshwar Hills, N. Champaran I Chota Nagpnr. If^ood (precise locality not 

 noted) ! Manbhnm, Ball ! Santal Parg., JS:i(rz ! 

 Var. i3. calva. 



Stems long often red and villous above, leaves serrate, ligules 2 fid, 

 Cypsele of disc 2-edged black and shining and completely glabrous, 

 outer 3-angled. 



Neterhat, elev. 3000 ft. ! 



The involucre bracts in var. calvn are lanceolate, '12" long, those of the type often 

 shorter and more ovate. The creeping form superficially resembles IVedelia 

 calendulacea before the receptacle elongates. 



27. HELIANTHUS. 



Herbs, often very large, with opp. or alt. coarse leaves and medium 

 to very large radiate heads, solitary or in loose corymbs. Involucre 

 hemisphei'ical or very broad, bracts 2-many-seriate, outer at times 

 with foliaceous tips. Ray flowers neuter (and occasionally in culti- 

 vation all the disc flowers become ligulate). Cypsele thick, slightly 

 compressed or 4-angled. Pappus of 2 deciduous awns sometimes with 

 a caducous bristle between them, or of two large dry scales. 



A large North American genus. 



Annuals. 



Leaves and stems hispidly hairy 1. auniius. 



Leaves and stems .softly cottony 2. argyrophyUia, 



Perennial, with tuberous roots 3. taberosus. 



1. H. annuus, L. Surajmiikhi, Vern. ; The Sunflower. 



This, the common Sunflower, is often cultivated. The seeds give an oil and are 

 also used as a food for poultry. 



2. H. argyrophyllus, Torr. Sf Gr. Safed Surajmukhi, Vern. 



Cultivated and frequently self-sown near houses. Frain calls it the " Rains 

 Sunflower." 



3. H. tuberosus, L. Brahmokha, Vern. ; The Jerusalem Artichoke. 

 A well-known plant resembling a sunflower in leaf. Widely cultivated. 



The genus Tithonia is allied. The heads are large on clavate 

 peduncles. Pappus or of many scales wdth or Avithout 1-2 caducous 



482 



