BLUE AND PURPLE WILD FLOWERS 



during August, September and October. The rather 

 stout stem rises from two to four feet in height, and 

 is either branched or simple. The thick-textured, 

 long-oval, light green leaves are sometimes toothed. 

 The upper ones are usually heart-shaped and clasp 

 the stalk, while the lower ones taper into winged stems. 

 The rays of the flower head number from fifteen to 

 thirty, and are of a beautiful shade of blue or violet, 

 rarely white. They are set around a yellow centre of 

 disc florets. The heads are an inch broad, and they 

 are closely set in a lovely terminal cluster. The 

 Smooth Aster ranges from Maine and Ontario to 

 Missouri, Pennsylvania and Louisiana. 



NEW YORK ASTER 



Aster novi-belgii. Thistle Family. 



One of the very commonest of the late-flowering 

 Asters of the Atlantic States, and also an extremely 

 variable species. The slender stalk is usually much 

 branched, generally smooth, and grows from one to 

 three feet high. The long, smooth thin-textured, 

 narrow leaves taper gradually to a slender point, with 

 entire or slightly toothed margins. The upper ones 

 partly clasp the stalk, and are somewhat heart-shaped. 

 The lowest ones have stems. The numerous flower 

 heads are an inch or so broad, and are loosely grouped 

 in a somewhat flat-topped arrangement. From fif- 

 teen to twenty-five light blue or violet, or rarely white, 

 rays surround the yellow centre. The New York 

 Aster is found in swamps, chiefly near the coast, from 



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