236 FAMILIAR FEATURES OF THE ROADSIDE. 



feather veined, deeply toothed, very veiny, exceed- 

 ingly rough and hairy, and dark green ; in form 

 variable, from broad lance-shaped to elliptical or 

 oblong. Stem straight, cylindrical, 

 thickly beset with leaves, and much 

 branched at the top. Flower 

 light golden yellow, with from 

 six to nine rays. Flower clus- 

 ters not remarkable in color, 

 much beset on the branchlets with 

 little leaves, spreading, and formed 

 of minor clusters about three inches 

 in length. A very common species 

 found on shady borders of the road, 

 presenting a great variety of forms, 

 chief among which is the cluster of 

 leafy branchlets terminating a leafy, 

 stocky stem ; it grows from one .to six 

 feet high. 



9. Solidago ulmifolia. Elm -leaved 

 golden-rod. Blooms about the middle of 

 August. Gray says of this species, " Too 

 near S. rugosa ; distinguished only by its smooth stem 

 and thin, larger leaves." The upper branchlets are 

 hairy, and the flower has about four rays. This spe- 

 cies is common in low copses near streams which pass 

 beneath the road ; it grows about three feet high. 



S. rugosa. 



