1172 



CARDUACEAE 



Lower cauline leaves elongated, the blades less than 4 

 mm. wide : bracts of the involucre obscurely if at 

 all ciliate. obscurely punctate. 14. L. elongata. 



b. Heads on scaly peduncles : involucres mostly less than 



6 mm. high. 15. L. Earlei. 



B. Bracts of the involucre acute, acuminate or mucronate. 

 Heads 3-14-flowered. 



Involucres 1 cm. high or less, except when the bracts have lax acumi- 

 nate color tips. 

 Bracts of the involucre with erect or appressed tips. 



Leaves gradually decreasing in length from the base of the stem 



to the inflorescence. 

 Pappus-bristles not plumose, at least to the naked eye. 



Rachis of the spike or raceme glabrous : outer bracts of the 



involucre glabrous or ciliolate. 

 Bracts of the involucre mainly acute : 



Bracts thin, sparingly fine-punctate or epunctate. 

 Middle involucral bracts less than 2 mm. wide: 



leaves erect or ascending. 16. L. Hellcri, 



Middle involucral bracts over 2 mm. wide : leaves 



spreading. 17. L. Smallii. 



Bracts very thick, copiously and coarsely punctate. 18. L. Regimontis. 



Bracts of the involucre mainly abruptly acuminate. 19. L. carinata. 



Rachis or the spike or raceme pubescent : outer bracts of the in- 

 volucre pubescent, at least ciliate or resinous-atomiferous. 

 Involucres 7-8 mm. high, about 3 mm. thick : heads 



closely sessile. 20. L. platylepis. 



Involucres 9-10 mm. high, about 5 mm. thick : heads 



usually short-peduncled. 21. L. Nashii. 



Pappus-bristles plumose to the naked eye. 



Spike or raceme slender, neither dense nor leafy-bracted. 

 Inner bracts of the involucre with firm green tips : 



involucres 7-9 mm. high. 22. L. Halei. 



Inner bracts of the involucre with pink scarious tips : 



involucres 10-12 mm. high. 23. L. Boykinii. 



Spike or raceme stout, dense, leafy-bracted. 



Bracts of the involucre eciliate. 24. L. acidota. 



Bracts of the involucre ciliate. 25. L. punctata. 



Leaves abruptly smaller near the base of the stem, the lower ones 



very much elongated, the stem thus scape-like. 

 Involucres mostly less than 7 mm. high : blades of the lower 



leaves 1-3 mm. wide. 26. L. tenui/olia. 



Involucres mostly over 7 mm. high : blades of the lower leaves 



4-11 mm. wide. 27. L. laevigata. 



Bracts of the involucre with recurved-spreading tips. 



Heads not contiguous : involucres 6-7 mm. high, the bracts with 



firm tips. 28. L. Garberi. 



Heads contiguous and crowded : involucres 8-12 mm. high, the 



bracts with scarious tips. 

 Involucres 10-12 mm. high ; bracts with acuminate tips, scarcely 



if at all ciliate. 29. L, pycnostachya. 



Involucres 8-9 mm. high ; bracts acute or mucronate, ciliate. 30. L. Langloisii. 

 Involucres much over 1 cm. high. 



Stems pubescent : achenes over 5 mm. long. 31. L. Chapmanii. 



Stems glabrous : achenes less than 5 mm. long. 32. L. pauciflora. 



Heads 16-60- flowered. 



Bracts of the involucre appressed, rounded or merely mucronate. 



Heads in an open cyme : bracts of the involucre mucronulate. 33. L. cymosa. 



Heads in a spike or raceme : bracts of the involucre acuminate. 34. L. cylindracea. 



Bracts of the involucre with rigid acuminate spreading tips. 35. L. squarrosa. 



1. Laciniaria 61egans (Walt. ) Kuntze. Stems 3-12 dm. tall, normally simple, finely 

 pubescent. Leaves numerous ; blades linear or nearly so, 1.5-15 cm. long, acute or acutish, 

 the upper ones reflexed, the lower ones narrowed into margined petioles : spikes or racemes 

 1-5 dm. long, dense: involucres 1.5-2 cm. high ; bracts of 2 kinds, the outer linear or 

 linear-lanceolate, inconspicuous, coarsely pubescent, the inner longer, with showy rose-red 

 acuminate serrulate blades : corollas white : achenes 6-7 mm. long, fluted, hirsute : 

 pappus-bristles plumose. 



In dry or sandy soil, Virginia to Florida and Texas. Summer and fall. 



2. Laciniaria flabellata Small. Stems 3-6 dm. tall, simple, lanuginous, angled, usu- 

 ally solitary : leaves rather numerous ; blades linear or nearly so, the lower ones 5-10 cm. 

 long, acute or acutish, spreading, narrowed into margined petioles, the upper ones much 

 reduced, reflexed, all densely punctate, glabrous : racemes conspicuous, 1-2 dm. long, 3 cm. 

 thick : involucres 1.5 cm. high : bracts various, the outer somewhat keeled, with spread- 

 ing entire or denticulate acuminations, the inner with pale magenta fan-shaped erose-den- 

 tate tips : achenes densely pubescent : pappus-bristles somewhat plumose, rather few. 



In dry open woods, St. Helena Island, South Carolina. Fall. 



3. Laciniaria scariosa (L.) Hill. Stems 2-16 dm. tall, sometimes branched above : 

 leaves various, the lower ones with linear or elliptic blades longer than the petioles, the 

 upper reduced, linear or linear-lanceolate : heads solitary, or numerous, in elongated some- 



