Report of the State Botanist. 47 



the middle. In our specimens all the leaves have very distinct 

 serratures and they vary greatly in shape. Because of the 

 scattered heads on long peduncles it seems to connect with 

 A. Tradeseanti, from which, as well as from A. diffusus var. 

 hifrons, it differs in the character of its leaves. 



Aster prenanthoides Muhl. 



This species which, in the N. Y. Flora, is credited to the 

 western part of the State only, is abundant and variable in the 

 Catskill mountains. The heads are corymbose or paniculate, the 

 rays are white, bluish-white, violet or blue and the leaves vary 

 from the typical ovate acuminate form with its long abrupt and 

 conspicuously contracted base to a narrowh' lanceolate form in 

 which the basal contraction is scarcely noticeable. They vary in 

 length from two and a half to six or seven inches. They are 

 generally distinctly serrate, but in a form which seems sufficiently 

 well marked to merit designation as variety diffusifolius, the 

 serratures are less prominent, the leaves are shorter, widest in 

 the middle and less abruptly contracted, so thai in shape they are 

 strongly suggestive of those of the ordinary form of A. difusus. 

 The paniculate heads are about three lines high and the scales 

 are less spreading than in the type. 



This variety seems to run into A. prenanthoides on one hand 

 and into A. jnmiceus on the other. Its agreement with the 

 description of A. jnmiceus var. Icevicaidis is very close, and I 

 have not referred our s[)ecimens to this variety because of the 

 character and arrangement of the hairs of the upper part of the 

 stem and its branches and because of its apparently more close 

 connection with A. prenanthoides in habitat size and appearance 

 of the heads and shape of the leaves. The plants were asso- 

 ciated in locality with both these species and may perhaps be a 

 cross between them. 



Senecio aureus L. var. Balsamitse T. & G. 

 Rocky bank of Black river below Brownville. June. 



Hieracium. preealtum Vill. 

 This troublesome weed, recently introduced into the northern 

 part of the State is rapidly spreading. It was found in three 

 places near Adams, Jefferson county. It is evidently not par- 



