COMPOSITAE (COMPOSITE FAMILY) 589 



plumose above, naked on the lower third. In the desert areas of our range, 

 and westward. 



94. TRAGOPOGON L. SALSIFY. OYSTER PLANT 



Tall and erect perennial herbs, with slender fleshy taproots, alternate grass- 

 like flaccid leaves clasping at the base, and large heads of purple or yellow 

 flowers which are open only during the morning. Involucral bracts in a 

 single series, united at the very base. Rays 5-toothed at the truncate apex. 

 Receptacle naked. Achenes muricate, 5-10-ribbed, long-beaked or the outer- 

 most beakless. Pappus-bristles connate at the base, plumose with inter- 

 webbed branches. 



1. Tragopogon porrifolius L. Sp. PI. 789. 1753. Commonly 5-8 dm. high: 

 peduncle strongly clavate-thickened and fistulous for 5-8 cm. beneath the 

 head, which becomes 7-8 cm. high: flowers violet-purple, mostly surpassed 

 by the involucre: outermost achenes squamellate-muricate. Sparingly in 

 fields and near dwellings, as an escape from cultivation. 



T. pratensis L., very similar but with yellow flowers, the bracts not exceed- 

 ing the ligules, has been reported also as an escape from cultivation within 

 our range. 



95. KRIGIA Schreb. 



Low herbs, with rather large heads of yellow flowers on slender naked 

 peduncles or scapes. Ours belongs to the section Cynthia, in which the invo- 

 lucral bracts are 9-18 and thin, and pappus of 10-15 oblong scales and 

 15-20 slender capillary bristles. Achenes short-columnar, many-ribbed, terete 

 or somewhat angular, with broad truncate summit. 



1. Krigia virginica (L.) A. Nels. Caulescent, not tuberiferous, glaucous; 

 stem 3-5 dm. high, 1-3-leaved, bearing one or two or few somewhat umbellate 

 heads on moderately long peduncles: leaves oblong or oval, obtuse, entire, 

 repand and denticulate, or radical somewhat lyrately lobed; these contracted 

 into winged petioles; the cauline partly clasping by a broad base. K. amplexi- 

 caulis [Adopogon virginicum (L.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. PL 304. 1891.] In the 

 eastern border of our range to the Atlantic States. 



96. NOTHOCALAIS Greene 



Perennials, with linear-attenuate undulate or crisped radical leaves marked 

 by white-tomentulose margins and monocephalous scapose peduncles. In- 

 volucre oblong-campanulate; bracts in two series, narrowly lanceolate, mem- 

 branaceous, with thinner somewhat hyaline margins, nearly equal, none 

 calyculate. Receptacle flat, alveolate. Achenes fusiform, contracted or 

 rostrate-attenuate at summit, 10-striate-ribbed. Pappus very white and soft, 

 of 10-30 scabrous-margined, narrow, unequal scales, with or without some 

 capillary bristles. (Microseris Nothocalais Gray.) 



1. Nothocalais cuspidata (Pursh) Greene, Bull. Cal. Acad. 2: 55. 1886. 

 Leaves linear, long-acuminate, thick, pubescent or glabrate, 1-2 dm. long, 

 4-10 mm. wide, somewhat conduplicate, the margins conspicuously white- 

 tomentose and crisped, or entire: scape stout, tomentose, at least above, 

 shorter than or equaling the leaves: head 3-5 cm. broad; involucre usually 

 quite glabrous, nearly 25. mm. high: achenes slightly contracted at the sum- 

 mit, about 6 mm. long; pappus of 40-50 unequal scales and bristles. Troximon 

 cuspidatum. From Montana to Colorado and eastward to the Mississippi. 



97. PTILOCALAIS Greene 



Glabrous perennials, with fusiform roots, stems mostly leafy at base with 

 laciniate foliage, and long-peduncled heads which are nodding in the bud. 



