COMPOSITE. (COMPOSITE FAMILY.) 227 



Perennial or biennial herbs, with alternate simple or lobed leaves, and showy 

 heads terminating the stem or branches. Rays yellow or party-colored. Disk 

 dark purple or yellowish. 



* Disk ovate or glolwse. 

 f- Leaves undivided : stem simple or sparingly branched. 



1. R. ilirta, L. Hirsute; stem and branches naked at the summit ; leaves 

 3-ribbed, lanceolate or oblong, serrate, the upper ones sessile, the lowest nar- 

 rowed into a petiole ; disk roundish, purplish brown ; chaff of the receptacle 

 acute, hairy at the apex ; appendages of the style subulate. Dry soil, Florida 

 to Mississippi, and northward. July and August. Stem rigid, l-2 high. 

 Kays longer or shorter than the involucre. 



2. R. fulgida, Ait. Hairy ; stem simple or sparingly branched, naked at 

 the summit; leaves 3-ribbed, mostly serrate ; the lowest oval or oblong, on slen- 

 der petioles ; the upper ones spatulate-oblong or lanceolate, slightly clasping ; 

 rays commonly longer than the involucre ; disk roundish, dark purple ; chaff of 

 the receptacle smoothish, rather obtuse ; appendages of the style short-conical. 

 (R. discolor, Ell. R. spathulata, Michx., a smoothish mountain form, with spat- 

 ulate mostly entire leaves, and smaller heads.) Dry soil, Florida, and northward. 

 August and September. Stem 1 -3 high. Rays often turning reddish at the 

 base in withering. 



3. R. mollis, Ell. Stem hirsutc-villous, branching ; leaves oblong, ob- 

 scurely serrate, sessile and partly clasping, soft-tomcntose on both sides ; the 

 lowest somewhat spatulatc ; scales of the involucre numerous, linear-lanceolate, 

 villous, rcflexcd, half as long as the (12-20) rays ; disk brownish ; chaff of the 

 receptacle rather obtuse, tomento.se at the apex. Western districts of Georgia. 

 August - October. Stem 2 -3 high. 



4. R. Heliopsidis, Torr. & Gray. Rhizoma prostrate ; stem pubescent, 

 with few peduncle-like branches at the summit ; leaves ovate or oval, slightly 

 serrate, obtuse, smoothish, 5-ribbed, petioled ; scales of the involucre oblong, 

 shorter than the brownish-purple subglobose disk, and (10-12) oblong-linear 

 rays ; chaff of the receptacle obtuse, pubescent at the apex ; achenia of the rays 

 3-anglcd, as large as those of the disk. Pine barrens near Columbus, Georgia, 

 and Alabama. August and September: Stem 2 high. 



H- - Leaves divided : stem paniculately or corymboscli/ branched. 



5. R. triloba, L. Biennial, rough-hairy; stem much branched; lowest 

 leaves long-petioled, ovate or oval, simple, or with two small lateral lobes, serrate ; 

 lower stem-leaves 3-lobed ; the upper simple, sessile, often entire ; heads small, 

 numerous ; scales of the involucre narrow-lanceolate, shorter than the rays ; 

 disk almost black ; chaff of the receptacle awl-pointed, smooth, as long as the 

 flowers. Var. PINNATILOBA, Torr. & Gray, is smaller and more slender, and 

 the lower stem leaves pinnately lobed. Dry soil, West Florida and northward. 

 August and September. Stem 2 - 5 high. Leaves sometimes all undivided. 

 Rays about 8. 



6. R. laciniata, L. Stem smooth, tall (4 -6'), branching; leaves 

 rough ; the lowest pinnately divided, the divisions lanceolate or oblong, lobed or 



