AST 



•:/ith mou^Ll. Tiiey iijiia!!y flwAcr in the follow- 

 insi siuiinier. 



The iirtst species nmlt^plitf riipitily by roots, 

 but the second more sparingly, and does not 

 bear transplanting so well, as u is rendered more 

 weak in its flowering. 



The variety with white flowers is less hardy 

 than either of these species. 



J a severe winters it is useful to protect the 

 roots by the application of tan or stable-dung ; 

 and the stems should be annually cleared away 

 when thev beoin to decay in t!ie autunni. 



These plant's afford considerable variety, when 

 properly intermixed with others of the flower- 

 ino- hai'dy kinds in the borders and other parts 

 ot° pleasure-grounds, producing a good effect 

 from their continuine; long in blow. 

 A.SSA-FCETIDAT See Ferula. 

 ASTER, a genus comprehending different 

 fibrous-rooted flowery plants of the annual and 

 perennial herbaceous and shrubby kinds. The 

 Starworts. 



It belongs to the class and order Si/ngenesm 

 PohjUnmia Supcrjhia, and ranks in the natural 

 order of Compositi Radiati. 



The characters are: that the calyx is common 

 imbricate; the inner scales prominent a little at 

 the end, the lower ones spreading: the corolla 

 compound radiate: coroUules hermaphrodite nu- 

 merous in the disk: the females ligulate, and 

 more than ten in the ray. Proper, of the her- 

 maphrodite, funnel-shaped, with a (ive-clcft 

 spreading border; of the female ligulate, lan- 

 ceolate, three-toothed, at length rolling back: 

 the stamina hermaphrodite, five fdaments, capil- 

 lary, and very short: the anther cylindric and 

 tpbulous : the pistillum is hermaphrodite : one 

 oblong germ : the style filiform, the length of 

 the stamens : stigma bifid, spreading : females, 

 germ and style the same : stigmas two, oblong, 

 and revolute : no pericarpium : the calyx scarcely 

 changed: the seeds solitary, oblong, and ovate : 

 (town capillary: the receptacle is naked and 

 flattish. 



The species principally cultivated are, 1. A. 

 Chinensis, China Aster, or Chinese Starwort; 

 2. A. Tradescant't, Tradescant's or VirginiaStar- 

 wort; 3. A. Amdkis, Amellus, or Italian Star- 

 wort ; 4. A. Alpiirus, Alpine or Great Mountain 

 Starwort; 5. A. N'ov(B-A?igli(e, 'New-England 

 Starwort ; 6. A. gramUJiurub, Great Blue Pyra.- 

 midal Aster, or Catesby's Starwort; ?• A. piaii- 

 cfiis. Red-stalked American Starwort; 8. A. un- 

 dulati/s, Waved Starwort; 9. A. Umfolius, Flax- 

 leaved Starwort; 10. A. fcimifoUus, Fine-leaved 

 Starwort; 11. y/. Ericoides, Heath-leaved Star- 

 wort; 12. y/. (f2/mom^, Bushy Starwort ; \3. A. 

 concolor. Single-stalked Starwort; 11. A. di- 



larkatus. Divaricate Starwort; 15. A. Kovi- 

 Bil.gii, New- Holland Starwort; Ifi. A. pani- 

 ciilatii,3, Panicled Starwort; 1 7. y1. fridkosiis, 

 Shrubby Starwort. In tiiis numerous genus thei-e 

 are sexeral other species etjually deserving the 

 attention of the cultivator. 



The first is an elegant annual plant, rising in 

 height from eighteen inches to two feet; the 

 stem is erect, stiff, furrowed, and as thick as the 

 little finpcr, putting out long bending branches 

 from top to bottom. The leaves next the ground 

 and at the origin of the branches are large, and 

 resemble those of commi)n Cheiiopodium : those 

 on the branches arc much smaller, and the 

 upper ones narrow and very entire: the flowers 

 are the largest and handsomest of any of the 

 species in this genus: the disk yellow, at first 

 flat, then convex; the flosculcs of the ray are 

 broad and long, scarcely notched at the end. 



There are varieties of this plant with single 

 white flowers, single blue flowers, single purple 

 flowers, single red flowers; with double white 

 flowers, double blue flowers, double red flowers, 

 and with variegated blue and white flowers. 



The second species has radical leaves three or 

 four inches long, like those of the willow, from 

 green inclining to brown, with small scattered 

 serratures. Among these come out round, 

 smooth, woody, brownish stems, clothed with 

 similar leaves, oidy shorter; they are elegantly- 

 divided into many slender, hard branches, two 

 or three feet high, adorned with abundance of 

 very small white flowers during the months of 

 September and October. According to some, 

 the disk is purple. The ray of the corolla is 

 first white, and afterwards purplish. It is a na- 

 tive of Virginia. 



The third sort has the stems growing in large 

 clusters fiom the root, each of them branching at 

 the top into eight or ten peduncles, each termi- 

 nated by a single large flower, having blue rays, 

 with a yellow disk. It flowers in August or Sep- 

 tember, and in mild seasons will often continue 

 till the middle of November. It grows naturally 

 in Italy. 



There are varieties with white flowers and with 

 wrinkled leaves. 



The fourth species seldom rises more than 

 nine, commonly from four to six inches high, 

 in its native situation, and when transplanted 

 into gardens, from nine to ten, but rarely above 

 sixteen. At the top of each stalk is one large 

 blue flower, somewhat like that of the Italian 

 Starwort. It flowers in June, and is a native of 

 the Alps, &c. 



There are varieties with white rays and with 



blue rays. _ '•. 



The fifth species has many stems, five feet 



