192 FAMILIAR FEATURES OF THE ROADSIDE. 



road, a midsummer family has taken up its quarters, 

 most of whose members are sufficiently tall to look 

 over the fence. Many of them measure three and 

 four feet, and several six and 

 even twelve feet in height. 

 These magnificent weeds are 

 nearly all members of the 

 great Composite family, the 

 records of which occupy a 

 large section of Gray's Man- 

 ual. 



The first familiar flower 

 which Gray mentions is the 

 ironweed ( Vernonia Nove- 

 J)oracensis) ; this is common 

 near the seashore. It grows 

 from three to five feet high, 

 and its clusters of purplish 

 magenta flowers, from which 

 the bees gather quite a little 

 honey, somewhat resemble tiny 

 sweet sultans or bachelor's but- 

 tons ; but it is a rude, stocky, useless weed, with 

 a stout, hard stem which cumbers the ground. It 

 blooms in August. Next come the Eupatori- 

 ums, a coarse tribe not without some saving, use- 

 ful qualities. Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) 



