COMPOSITE. (COMPOSITE FAMILY.) 301 



leaves, and racemose-panicled mostly nodding heads. Flowers greenish-white 

 or yellowish, often tinged with purple ; late summer and autumn. Our species 

 belong to the subgenus Ndbalus. The original European species has soft 

 white pappus. (Name from rrprivfis, drooping, and &i/6ri, blossom.) 



* Heads rather broad, 25-35-floivered, in a corymbose panicle. 



1. P. Crepidinea, Michx. Somewhat smooth ; stem stout (5 -9 high), 

 bearing numerous nodding heads in loose clusters; leaves large (6-12' long), 

 broadly triangular-ovate or halberd-form, strongly-toothed, contracted into 

 winged petioles; pappus brown. (Nabalus, DC.) Rich soil, Penn. and 

 western N. Y. to Minn., and southward. Flowers cream-color. 



* * Heads narrow, 8- 15-flowered, in a long raceme-like or thyrsoid inflorescence ; 



stems simple; cauline leaves sessile; pappus straw-color. 

 +- Inflorescence pubescent, strict; heads nearly erect , 12-15-flowered. 



2. P. racem6sa, Michx. Stem 2-5 high, smooth and glaucous, as 

 well as the oval or oblong-lanceolate denticulate leaves ; the lower tapering 

 into winged petioles (rarely cut-pinnatifid), the upper partly clasping; heads 

 in crowded clusters; flowers purplish. (Nabalus, DC.) Plains, N. Maine to 

 N. J., Mo., and northward. Var. FiNNAifFiDA, Gray, the leaves all lyrately 

 pinna'ifi 1. Hackensack marshes, N. J. 



3. P. aspera, Michx. Stem 2-4 high, rough-pubescent, as well as the 

 oval-oblong or broadly lanceolate toothed leaves; upper leaves not clasping; 

 heads in small clusters ; flowers larger, cream-color. (Nabalus asper, Torr. 

 Gray.) Dry prairies and barrens, Ohio to Iowa, and southward. 



+- -i- Whole plant glabrous ; heads nodding, 8-12-floicered ; thyrse looser. 



4. P. virgata, Michx. (SLENDER RATTLESNAKE-ROOT.) Slightly glau- 

 cous ; stem 2-4 high, prolonged into a naked and slender spiked raceme (1-J - 

 2 long) ; heads clustered and mostly unilateral ; leaves lanceolate, acute, 

 closely sessile, the upper reduced to bracts, the lower toothed or piimatifid ; 

 involucre (purplish) of about 8 scales. (Xabalus, DC.) Sandy pine barrens, 

 N. J. to Va., and southward. 



5. P. Mainensis, Gray. Stem 2 high, leafy ; leaves as in n. 2, but the 

 radical ovate and more abruptly narrowed to the short petiole ; heads persist- 

 ently drooping on slender pedicels. St. John's River, N. Maine (Pringle). 

 Perhaps a hybrid between n. 2 and 7. 



* * * Heads 5-18-flowered, racemose or paniculate, commonly pendulous; 

 leaves variable, mostly petiolate, the lower cordate or truncate or hastate at base. 



-t- Involucre cylindrical ; scales scarious-margined, the outer rery short, oppressed. 

 w- Pappus reddish-brown ; stem tall, generally purplish. 



6. P. alba, L. (WHITE LETTUCE. RATTLESNAKE-ROOT.) Smooth and 

 glaucous (2-4 high) ; stem corymbose-panicled at the summit; leaves angu- 

 late or triangular-halberd-form, sinuate-toothed or 3-5-cleft, the uppermost 

 oblong and undivided; involucre (purplish) of about 8 scales, 8 - 1 2-flowered. 

 (Nabalus, Hook.) Borders of rich woods; common, especially northward. 



w- +* Pappus dirty straw-color or whitish ; leaves very variable. 



1. P. serpentaria, Pursh. (LION'S-FOOT. GALL-OF-THE-EARTH.) Nearly 

 smooth ; stem corymbose-panicled at the summit, commonly 2 high ; leaves 



