266 COMPOSITE. (COMPOS ITK FAMILY.) 



81. SENECIO, L. GROUNDSEL, BUTTER-WEED. 



Heads many-flowered ; the flowers all tubular and perfect, or with pistillate 

 rays. Scales of the involucre in a single row, often brat-ted. Receptacle 

 naked or alveolate. Achenia not beaked nor winged Pappus of copious soft 

 hairs. Herbs, with entire or pinnately divided leaves. Heads corymbose. 

 Flowers yellow. 1'ubesceuce mostly webby and deciduous. 



* Annual: heads radiate. 



1. S. lobatus, Pers. Smooth; stem furrowed, hollow; leaves tender, 

 lyrate-piunatifid, with rounded toothed lobes; the earliest orbicular, loug- 

 petioled ; rays about 12. River bottoms. March - April. Stem 1 3 

 high. Lobing of the leaves variable. 



* * Perennial: heads radiate: lowest leaves petioled, undivided} the others 

 pinnately lobed or toothed ; the upfieniiont sessile. 



2. S. aureus, L. Smooth, or more or less woolly when young; stem (2 

 high) slender; radical leaves long-petioled, round-cordate, crenate ; the others 

 lanceolate' or oblong-lanceolate, pinnatitid ; rays 8 -12; achenia smooth. 

 Mountains of North Carolina. July. 



Var. obovatUS, Torr. & Gray. Smoothish ; leaves chiefly radical, thick, 

 obovate or roundish, eremite, on short winged petioles; those of the stem 

 small, piniiatittd ; heads crowded; rays 9-12; acheuia smooth. Rocky 

 places, West Florida to North Carolina. April -May. Stem 1 high. 

 Radical leaves 2' -3' wide. 



Var. Balsamitse, Torr. & Gray. Radical leaves spatulate-lanceolate or 

 obovate ; lower part of the stem often densely woolly ; achenia hairy. Dry 

 open woods in the upper districts. May - June. 



3. S. tomentoSUS, Michx. Woolly and hoary throughout ; the leaves 

 becoming smoothish ; lowest leaves oblong, crenate, obtuse ; stem leaves few, 

 scattered, lanceolate, acute, serrate or toothed ; rays 12 - 15 ; achenia hairy. 

 Damp soil, Florida to North Carolina. April -May. Stems mostly simple, 

 2- 3 high. Heads rather large. 



* * * Perennial: heads radiate : leaves all bipinnateli/ dissected. 



4. S. Millefolium, Torr. & Gray. Woolly when young, at length 

 nearly smooth ; steins tufted, corymbose above ; leaves lanceolate, with the 

 divisions linear and toothed, the lowest ones petioled ; heads crowded ; rays 

 9-12. Mountains of North Carolina (Buckley). June. Stems 1 -2 high. 



* * * * Perennial: heads large, discoid: leaves all entire. 



5. S. Rugelia, Gray. Minutely pubescent; rhizoma creeping; stem 

 simple, erect ; leaves ovate, acute at each end, denticulate; the lowest large 

 (2' -4'), crowded, on long margined petioles, the others small, scattered, and 

 nearly sessile ; heads on long bracted peduncles. Smoky Mountains, Ten- 

 nessee (Riigel, Buckley). Stem 1 high. 



82. ERECHTHITES. Raf. FIREWEED. 



Heads many-flowered, discoid ; the marginal flowers pistillate, very slender, 

 2-3-toothed; the others perfect, 4-5-toothed. Scales of the cyl'n in---] 



