ASTERS, DAISIES AND EVERLASTINGS. 5d 
Composite, because what appears at a passing glance to be a 
single flower, is composed of usually numerous florets. The 
number of species, comprised within the order of Composite is 
estimated at about 10,000, this being about one-third more than 
that of the vast order of Leguminosz, so far as hitherto ascer- 
tained. The Thistles, Lettuce, Dahlia, Chamomile, Dandelion, 
Chrysanthemums are familiar examples of Composite. Not less 
than 200 plants of this order are indigenous to the Victorian 
colony, and others have immigrated often to a predominating 
extent of individual growth. The main characteristics of the 
composite plants consist in an involucre of bracts surrounding 
several or many flowers ; calyx-tube connate with the fruit ; 
calyx-limb (pappus) formed of hair, plumes, bristles or scales or 
absent altogether ; corolla placed superiorly, with lobes con- 
tiguous (valvate) in bud; stamens five rarely four; anthers 
cylindrically connate, their two cells bursting at the inner side 
longitudinally ; stigma two-cleft or undivided ; ovary one-celled, 
with a solitary erect ovule; fruit (achenium) inferior, indehis- 
cent ; seed without albumen ; embryo straight. Stipules none ; 
leaves never divided into real leaflets; flowers mostly small. 
Compositee are much oftener herbs than shrubs and very rarely 
of arborerous growth, trees of gigantic size being unknown in 
the order. We have however in wet forest-valleys of this colony 
two trees of Composite, the Musk-tree (Aster argophyllus) and 
the Duke of Bedford’s tree (Senecio Bedfordi). Many other 
species of these two genera are Victorian, and one Aster is chosen 
to exemplify specific characteristics : 
The Velvet-Aster (Aster pannosus).—Shrubby ; leaves scattered, 
on short stalks, generally from 2 to 3 inches long, lanceolar-oval 
or somewhat heartshaped, entire, above soon glabrous and wrinkled, 
beneath as well as the branchlets and flowerstalks velvety or 
somewhat woolly from intricate pale or slightly brown centrifixed 
hair ; flowerstalks elongated, bearing a few diminutive leaves ; 
involucre almost bell-shaped, nearly an inch long, consisting of 
several rows of lanceolar appressed bracts ; receptacle convex, 
alveolar, without bracts or bracteoles ; flowers all tubular ; those 
of the ray expanded into a large whitish lanceolar entire or two- 
