250 LXXVIII. COMPOSITE. (J. D. Hooker.) [Aster. 



Stems 8-18 in., many, stiff, ascending from a woody perennial stock. Leaves l-2 

 by i-f in., green, uniform on the stem, with very obscure nerves on both surfaces. 

 Ligules 12-16, -5 in., narrow. Achenes -fa in., pubescent; pappus rather longer, 

 hairs few, slender, white. Very like A. Amellus, L., but differing in the large outer 

 invol. bracts. 



SECT. II. Invol. bracts in few series herbaceous. Heads large, solitary, rarely 

 2-3 on a stem. 



2. A. himalaicus, Clarke Comp. Ind. 43 ; laxly villous, stems leafy 

 ascending, radical leaves persistent petioled obovate-spathulate entire or toothed, 

 cauline oblong ^-amplexicaul, heads solitary, outer invol. bracts broadly lanceo- 

 late leafy recurved, ligules 40-50 very narrow, achenes silky, pappus single 

 white. Diplopappus elegans, Herb. Ind. Or. Hf. fy T. in part. 



SIKKIM HIMALAYA, alt. 13-15,000 ft., J. 1). H. ; Clarke. 



A small robust species when alpine, 12-18 in. in lower localities, with a single 

 head, a very leafy involucre and numerous ligules. Leaves 1-2 in. ; petiole of radical 

 sometimes very long. Heads l in. diam. Achenes ^ in. ; pappus rather longer. 



3. A. tricephalus, Clarke Comp. Ind. 43 ; puberulous, stems erect 

 leafy, radical leaves deciduous petioled obovate-spathulate, cauline oblong - 

 amplexicaul, heads 1-3, outer invol. bracts numerous narrow longer than the 

 inner, ligules 40-50 very narrow. Achenes pubescent, pappus simple reddish. 

 Diplopappus elegans, Herb. Ind. Or. Hf. fy T. in part. 



SIKKIM HIMALAYA, alt. 10-14,000 ft, J. D. H. Clarke. 



Clarke suggests the possibility of this being a more developed form of A. hima- 

 laicus, and this I supposed it to be when I found it in Sikkim ; but besides being 

 taller, the invol. bracts are narrower, and the pappus hairs red and much stouter. 



4. A. Stracheyi, Hook. f. ; dwarf, stoloniferous, pubescent or villous, 

 radical leaves obovate-spathulate with few distant teeth, scapes ascending one- 

 or few-leaved, heads solitary, invol. bracts few linear-oblong membranous acu- 

 minate, ligules 30-40, achenes pubescent or silky, pappus simple reddish. 

 Heterochseta sp., Herb. Str. fy Wint. 



WESTERN ALPINE HIMALAYA; Kumaon, Wallich ; Pindari, alt. 12,000 ft., Str. $ 

 Wint., Stewart. 



A remarkable little species, with a rambling often branching roots-tock ( and short 

 ascending scape or stem. Leaves 1-2 in., coarsely serrate or laciniate. Heads f in. 

 diam. ; ligules about ^ in. Achenes and pappus much as in the preceding, but more 

 silky. 



5. A . Heterochaeta, Benth. in Gen. PL ii. 272 ; tomentose or woolly, 

 stemless or stem erect leafy, radical leaves obovate or oblanceolate entire acute, 

 cauline 1-2 oblong ^-amplexicaul, heads solitary very large, outer invol. bracte 

 linear-lanceolate acuminate, ligules 50-(30, achenes in. glabrate, pappus white 

 or reddish, double, outer very short paleaceous. Clarke Comp. Ind. 44. A. 

 alpinus, Thorns, in Herb. Ind. Or. Hf. $ T. Heterochaeta asteroides, DC. 

 Prodr. v. 282. 



ALPINE HIMALAYA and WESTERN TIBET, alt. 14-18,000 ft. DISTRIB. Altai Mts. 



A variable plant (annual ?) closely resembling the European A. alpinus, but differ- 

 ing from it and from the preceding species in the double pappus. There has been 

 great confusion in the distribution of the single-flowered Himalayan Asters and 

 Erigerons collected by Dr. Thomson and myself, and which have in various herbaria 

 been named Aster alpinus, himalaicus, and elegans, Diplopappus elegans and Erigeron 

 multiradiatus. The true A. alpinus, %though Siberian and Central Asiatic, is not 

 known to be Himalayan ; and I fail to recognise Clarke's " A. elegans, Hf. & T.," 

 described by him at Calcutta as from Sikkim. I find no species having biseriate 

 pappus together with very silky achenes except A. diplostephioides. 



