ASTER SPECIES. 
which have a slight coat of downy hairiness; the foliage at the base 
is narrow-oblong, without any toothing, blunt, with a little foot- 
stalk, and altogether small. The lovely plant belongs to all the 
Western Himalaya and Tibet, at highest Alpine elevations, 15,000 
to 16,000 feet. 
A. tricephalus is a taller version of A. himalaicus, with narrower 
bracts, and occasionally earning its name by diverging into branches, 
each with a flower-head at the end. (Sikkim, 10,000 to 14,000 feet.) 
A. yunnanensis, quite a new novelty (no common quality in 
‘«« Novelties ’’), with a bright-leaved form called A. y. atroviridis, pro- 
mises to be a delight. It forms a compact tuft with abundance of 
erect stems some 9 inches high or so, each flaunting a fine flower 
of bright clear blue, with very broad rays. In habit it recalls 
A. brachytrichus, though said to be incomparably more brilliant. 
Aster species of less merit. The following species are taller, 
ranker, or of less use and place in the rock-garden (including a few 
of special merit; many more will also be found in Nicholson’s 
Dictionary of Gardening, but Nicholson is inclined to use his star of 
recommendation a little too generously). 
A. acuminatus, tall coarse-toothed leaves, flowers large and 
few, pale whitish purple. 
A. adscendens, valueless. 
A. amethystinus is possibly a hybrid between A. Novae-Angliae 
and A. multiflorus. It is a rare plant of moist places, 3 feet high, 
soft-leaved, very branchy, with flowers of clear blue. In gardens 
the name often stands for A. grandiflorus. 
A. anomalus, 3 feet, frail; violet blossoms. Limestone cliffs in 
woods. 
A. asperulus, quite near the beautiful A. Thompsoni, but with the 
leaves prolonging themselves in little wing-like flaps along the leaf- 
stalk. 
A. azureus, leaves long, heart-shaped, rough ; bright blue flowers 
in racemes. 
A. Canbyi, stout and leafy, and without value. 
A. coerulescens. See A. salicifolius. 
A. commutaius, a stiff, leafy, branchy 2- to 3-foot plant, with large 
whitish flowers. 
A. concinnus, leaves rather serrate, smallish violet flowers. Woods, 
rare. 
A. concolor, wandlike fine stems, about 2 feet high, with many 
crowded heads of small violet stars. 
A. cordifolius, a coarse leafy thing with pallid flowers. 
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