COMPOSITE FAMILY. 193 



25. CONOCLINIUM, MIST-FLOWER. (Name from Greek, means 

 conical receptacle, in which alone it differs from Eupatorium, i. e. from such 

 species as those of the last section.) 2/ 



C. CCelestinum, in rich soil from Penn. to 111. and S., sometimes cult, 

 for ornament, l-2 high, with triangular-ovate or slightly hea.rt-shaped 

 coarsely toothed leaves, and a flat corymb of small heads of blue-purple flowers, 

 in autumn. 



26. AGERATUM. (An ancient Greek name, which means not growing old, 

 probably applied originally to some sort of Everlasting.) 



A. conyzoides, the variety with azure-blue flowers called A. MEXICANUM, 

 cult, for ornament from Trop. Amcr. ; 2 -3 high, soft-downy, with ovate or 

 somewhat heart-shaped petioled leaves, and corymbed heads of azure-blue flow- 

 ers, produced all summer and autumn. 



27. PIQTJERIA. (Named for an obscure Spanish botanist, Piquerio.) 



P. trinervia, from Mexico, cult, for winter-blooming ; smooth, 2 - 3 

 high, branched, with lance-oblong 3-nerved sparingly serrate leaves, and loose 

 panicled corymbs of very small white-flowered heads ; much used for dressing 

 larger cut flowers. 



28. C AC ALIA, INDIAN PLANTAIN. (Ancient name, of uncertain 

 meaning.) Natives of rich soil, fl. mostly in late summer. ^ 



* Receptacle flat : involucre with some bracts at the base. 



C. suaveolens, from Conn, to Wisconsin and S., but rare ; 3 -5 high, 

 with halberd-shaped serrate leaves on winged petioles, and rather large heads of 

 20 - 30 flowers. 



* * Receptacle pointed in the middle: involucre ^-flowered, of 5 scales, naked. 



C. reniformis, GREAT I., from New Jersey to Illinois and S. along the 

 mountains, 4 - 9 high, with large and green repand-toothed petioled leaves, 

 the lower kidney-shaped, the upper fan-shaped. 



C. atriplicifblia, PALE I. Commoner S. : pale or glaucous, with coarsely 

 toothed or angled leaves, the lower almost kidney-shaped, the upper wedge-shaped. 



C. tuberbsa, TUBEROUS I. Wet prairies W.,' with angled stem and 

 green thickish 5 - 7-nerved mostly entire leaves, the lower lance-oval and taper- 

 ing into long petioles, the upper short-petioled. Flowers in early summer. 



29. TITSSILAGO, COLTSFOOT. (Name from the Latin tussis, a cough, 

 for which the plant is a popular remedy. ) ^ 



T. Farfara, the only species, is wild along brooks, damp roadsides, and 

 near dwellings N., probably introduced from Europe, spreading very much by 

 its creeping (mucilaginous and bitter) rootstocks, which send up, in earliest 

 spring, scaly-bracted scapes, 3' - 6' high, bearing a single Dandelion-like head, 

 followed by the rounded and somewhat angled or toothed heart-shaped or kid- 

 ney-shaped leaves, which are cottony beneath when young. 



30. SENECIO, GROUNDSEL. (Name from the Latin senex, an old 

 man, referring to the hoary hairs of many species, or to the white hairs of the 

 pappus.) 



1. Wild species, chiefly of low or wet grounds, with yellow flowers. 



* No ray-flowers, introduced from Eu. : fl. all summer. (T) 

 S. vulgaris, COMMON GROUNDSEL ; a low weed in waste or cultivated 

 grounds E., corymbose, nearly smooth, with pinnatifid and toothed leaves. 



* * With ray-flowers, native herbs : fl. spring and early summer. 

 S. lobatus, BUTTERWEED. Low banks of streams S. & S. W., very 

 smooth, l-.'J high, with tender lyrate-pinnatifid or pinnate and variously 

 lobed leaves, small heads in naked corymbs, and about 12 conspicuous rays, (t) 

 13 



