THE WEEDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 87 



to proceed concurrently with the cultivation of improved forms, such as 

 Mr. Orland White has already selected and raised. Cultivation is essential, 

 as a crop can be controlled while the indiscriminate produce of a weed is 

 -difficult and expensive to collect. 



It may, of course, be that the industry will have to be assisted by the 

 State, in view of Indian competition, but the oil is so essential to industries 

 in New South Wales that the expediency of such assistance should be con- 

 sidered. 



Dr. 0. Ercole, who interested himself in this plant, published a pam- 

 phlet entitled "The Cultivation of the Castor Oil Plant," which was 

 reprinted in the Agricultural Gazette for February, 1906, p. 173, to which 

 imv readers are referred. 



Bushy Starwort (Aster subulatus Michx.). 

 (COMPOSITE : Daisy Family.) 



Popular Description. A rather wiry branched plant, bearing a pro- 

 fusion of not showy small white, daisy-like flowers, and small, narrow 

 leaves. Its usual height is about 2 feet. 



Botanical Description. 



An erect herbaceous biennial with a paniculate! y branched inflorescence. 

 Involucre narrow turbinate ; outer florets ligulate ; achenes shortly pubescent, 

 pappus bristles simple. 



Vernacular Names. "Bushy Starwort" is one of those manufactured 

 names that I very much dislike, but it is either that or Aster subulatus, 

 which is probably no more difficult to remember, and much preferable. 

 The word " Starwort " is sometimes given to Asters. It is sometimes 

 known as " Cobblers' Pegs/' but this name is better deserved for Erigeron. 



In Britton and Brown's " Illustrated Flora of the United States" it is 

 Igiven the name of " Annual Salt-Marsh Aster " from its favourite habitat. 



Habitat. It is a native of the eastern United States, in salt-marshes, 

 ifrom the coast of New Hampshire to Florida. 



It is common in New South Wales, having been recorded as Aster 



dumosus L. for many years. That is a closely allied species, but as our 

 New South Wales plant has been determined as A. subulatus by a well- 

 known American botanist, his determination has been accepted, and those 

 who wish to look up the references may turn to the Proceedings of the 

 Linnean Society of New South Wales, xxxiv, 363, for the year 1909. 



Properties. This Aster is an aggressive; coloniser which v h&s taken 

 possession of large areas in New South Wales, u&li^y\ui damp}sltuations, 

 in districts so far apart as the coast and Pr,ewarrina. Except that it is 

 not ornamental and is of very little fodder val^, ;I h^ve.^rio^ecajiq charge 

 to make against it, for it does not appear' ~ to pVssW arty' Irfjtirl tills ^pro- 

 perty whatever. It is simply a cumberer of the ground one of many 

 plants that, under ordinary circumstances, possesses no positive virtues, 

 and no special vices. 



