COMPOSITE. (COMPOSITE FAMILY.) 217 



TRIBE III. ASTEEOIDE^E. Heads discoid or radiate: the rays pistillate: 

 branches oftlie style, in the perfect flower, flattened, linear or lanceolate, equally 

 pubescent abore on the outside : the conspicuous stigmatic lines terminating where 

 the exterior pubescence commences. 



15. SERICOCARPUS, Nees. 



Heads 12 - 15-flowered ; the ray flowers about 5. white, pistillate; those of 

 the disk tubular aud perfect. Involucre somewhat cylindrical or club-shaped ; 

 tin- scales cartilaginous, whitish, closely imbricated in several rows, with green- 

 ish and more or less spreading tips. Keceptacle pitted, toothed. Achenia 

 short, obpyramidal, silky. Pappus simple, composed of numerous capillary 

 bristles. Perennial herbs. Leaves alternate. Heads crowded in a dense 

 corymb. Disk flowers yellow. 



1. S. conyzoides, Nees. Stem slightly pubescent, corymbose above; 

 nearly terete; leaves ciliate on the margins, otherwise smooth, the lower ones 

 spatulate-oblong, serrate above the middle, the upper oblong or lanceolate and 

 entire ; involucre top-shaped ; pappus rust-color. Dry gravelly or sandy soil, 

 in the middle aud upper districts. August. Stem l-2 high. 



2. S. solidagineus, Xees. Smooth; stem angled; leaves lanceolate 

 or linear, obtuse, entire, the lowest spatulate; involucre top-shaped; pappus 

 white. Low ground in the upper districts. August. Stem slender, 2 

 high. Heads smaller than in the last. 



3. S. tortifolius, Nees. Closely pubescent; leaves short, obovate, 

 rarely serrate, vertical ; involucre top-shaped ; the scales oblong and slightly 

 spreading at the tips; pappus copious, white. Sandy pine barrens, in the 

 middle and lower districts. August. Stem l-2 high. Leaves 1' long. 



16. ASTER, Tourn. ASTER, STARWORT. 



Heads many-flowered; the rays (white, blue, or purple) in a single series, 

 pistillate. Scales of the involucre more or less imbricated, mostlv with her- 

 baceous or leafy tips. Receptacle flat, pitted. Acheuia usually compressed. 

 Pappus a single row of numerous rough capillary bristles. Perennial 

 (rarely annual) herbs. Leaves alternate. Disk flowers yellow, often chan- 

 ging to purple. 



1. KIOTIA. Tnrotiicre obovate-bell shaped : the scales (pale) closely imlri- 

 cated, and nearly destitute of herbaceous tips: acht-nia somewhat 3-ctii,,le<l : 

 bristles of the pappus ricjid : leaves large, the lower ones cordate: heads 

 corymbed. 



I- A. COrymbosus, Ait. Stem slender, smooth; leaves on slender 

 petioles, thin, coarsely serrate, acuminate ; the lower ones cordate, the upper 

 oblong; involucre shorter than the disk, the scales obtuse; rays 6-9, white. 

 Shady woods in the upper districts. Sept. - Oct. Stem l-2 hi^h. 

 Leaves 2' -4' long. Corymbs loose. 



2. A. macrophyllus, L. Stem stout, rough pubescent ; leaves large, 

 rather thick, rough, mucronate-serrate, acute ; the lowest broadly cordate, on 

 slender naked petioles ; the upper ovate, on short and winged petioles ; invo 



