202 



COMPOSITE. (COMPOSITE FAMILY.) 



mcrous, crowded in compact erect-spreading slwrt racemes, forming a prolonged and 

 dense narrow or pyramidal panicle ; scales of the involucre linear-awl-shaped, ap- 

 pressed; rays about 10. — Sandy soil, Maine to Virginia and southward, near 

 the coast. 



7. §. stU'acta, Ait. Very smooth throughout; stem simple, strict (2°-3° 

 high) ; leaves lanceolate, pointed, the lower tapering gradually into winged peti- 

 oles, partly sheathing at the base, minutely serrate above with appressed teeth ; 

 racemes much crowded and appressed in a dense wand-like panicle ; scales of the 

 involucre linear-oblong, obtuse; rays 5-6, small.— Peat-bogs, Maine to Wis- 

 consin and northward. Root-leaves 6'- 10' long. It flowers earlier than its 

 allies, beginning in July. 



-•- •*- Heads rather large, at least for the size of the plant. 



8. §. specidsa, Nutt. Stem stout (3°- 6° high), smooth ; leaves thickish, 

 smooth with rough margins, oval or ovate, slightly serrate, the uppermost oblong- 

 lanceolate, the lower contracted into a margined petiole ; heads somewhat 

 crowded in numerous erect racemes, forming an ample pyramided- or thyrs form pan- 

 icle ; peduncles and pedicels rough-hairy ; scales of the cylindrical involucre 

 oblong, obtuse ; rays about 5, large. — Var. angustata is a dwarf form, with 

 the racemes short and clustered, forming a dense interrupted or compound 

 spike. — Copses, Massachusetts to "Wisconsin and southward. — A very hand- 

 some species; the lower leaves 4' -6' long and 2' -4' wide in the larger forms. 



9. S. Virga-aiirca, L. Pubescent or nearly glabrous ; stem low (6'- 18' 

 high) and simple ; leaves lanceolate or oblanceolate, or the lowest spatulate or elliptical- 

 obovate and petiolcd, serrate with small oppressed teeth or nearly entire ; racemes 

 thyreoid or simple, narrow; scales of the involucre lanceolate or linear, acute ; 

 rays 8-12. — An extremely variable species in the Old World and in our north- 

 ern regions. (Eu.) 



Var. aB|>laaa, Bigel. Dwarf (l'-8' high), with few (1-12) pretty large 

 heads (3" -4" long, becoming smaller as they increase in number); leaves 

 thickish, mostly smooth ; scales of the involucre lanceolate, acute or acutish ; 

 rays about 12. — Alpine region of the mountains of Maine, New Hampshire, 

 and New York ; and shore of Lake Superior. 



Var. liiimilis. Low (6' -12' high) and smooth, bearing several or nu- 

 merous loosely thyreoid smaller heads, which, with the peduncles, &c., are 

 mostly somewhat glutinous ; scales of the involucre obtuse ; rays 6-8, short ; 

 leaves varying from narrowly lanceolate and nearly entire to oblanceolate and 

 serrate. (S. humilis, Pursh, Torr. Sf Gr.) — Rocky banks, W. Vermont, Lakes 

 Huron and Superior, and northward. At the base of the White Mountains of 

 New Hampshire, on gravelly banks of streams, occurs a form, with the mi- 

 nutely pubescent stout stem l°-2° high, the leaves larger and broader, and 

 the heads very numerous in an ample compound raceme ; the rays occasionally 

 almost white. 



10. S. tliyrsoidea, E. Meyer. Stem stout (1° -4° high/), wand-like, pu- 

 bescent near the summit, simple ; leaves thin, ovate, irregularly and coarsely ser- 

 rate with sharp salient teeth, large (l'-4' long), all but the uppermost abruptly 

 contracted into long and margined pet iolesi heads large (5" -6" long), many- 



