COMPOSITE. (COMPOSITE FAMILY.) 1*79 



- -i- Receptacle chaffy. 



Bays neutral (rarely pistillate but sterile) ; the disk -flowers perfect and fartile. 

 Receptacle elevated (varying from strongly convex to columnar), and 



Chaffy only aj; the summit ; the chaff deciduous. Pappus none. . No. 61. 



Chaffy throughout. Achenia flattened laterally if at all. . .36-40. 



Receptacle flat. Achenia flattened parallel with the scales or chaff. . 41, 42. 



Rays pistillate and fertile ; the disk-flowers also perfect and fertile. 



Achenia much flattened laterally, 1 - 2-awned. 48. 



Achenia flattened parallel with the scales and chaff. Pappus none. ... 58. 



Achenia 3 - 4-angular, terete or laterally flattish, awnless. 



Receptacle convex or conical. Leaves alternate, dissected 62. 



Receptacle conical. Leaves opposite, simple. 



Achenia obovoid. Involucre a leafy cup. 32. 



Achenia 4-angular. Involucre of separate scales 86. 



Receptacle flat. Leaves opposite and simple. 83, 34. 



Roys pistillate and fertile : the disk-flowers staminate and sterile (pistil imperfect). 



Receptacle chaffy 25-28. 



Systematic Synopsis. 



TEIBK I. VERZVONIACE.3E. Heads discoid ; the flowers all alike, perfect and tubu- 

 lar. Branches of the style long and slender, terete, thread-shaped, minutely bristly- 

 hairy all over. Leaves alternate or scattered. 



1. VERNONIA. Heads several - many -flowered, separate. Involucre of many scales. Pap- 



pus of many capillary bristles. 



2. ELEPHANTOPUS. Heads 3-5-flowered, crowded into a compound head. Involucre of 



8 scales. Pappus of several chaffy bristles. 



TaiBB II. ETJP ATORIACEJE. Heads discoid, the flowers all alike, perfect and tu- 

 bular ; or in a few cases dissimilar, and the outer ones ligulate. Branches of the style 

 thickened upwards or club-shaped, obtuse, flattish, uniformly minutely pubescent ; the 

 Btigmatic lines indistinct. 



Subtribe 1. EUPATORIE.E. Flowers all perfect and tubular, never truly yellow. 



* Pappus a row of hard scales. 



8. SCLEROLEPIS. Head many-flowered. Scales of the involucre equal. Leaves whorled. 



* * Pappus of slender bristles. 



4. LIATRIS. Achenia many-ribbed. Bristles of the pappus plumose or barbellate. Cord- 

 las' red-pnrple, 5-lobed. 



6. KUHNIA. Achenia many-ribbed. Bristles of the pappus very strongly plumose. Corollas 

 whitish, 5-toothed. 



6. EUPATORIUM. Achenia 5-angled. Bristles of the pappus roughish. Scales of the invo 



lucre many or several. Receptacle of the flowers flat. 



7. MIKANIA Achenia and pappus as No. 6. Scales of the involucre and flowers only 4. 



8. CONOCLINIUM. Achenia, pappus, &c. as No. 6. Receptacle conical. 



" 



zbtribe 2. TUSSILAGINE^B. Flowers (sometimes yellow) more or less monoecious or dioecious 

 at least of 2 sorts in the same head. 



* Outer flowers of each (many-flowered) head pistillate and ligulate. Scape leafless. 

 9. NARDOSMIA. Heads corymbed. Flowers somewhat dioecious. Pappus capillary. 

 10 TUSS1LAGO. Head single ; the outer pistillate flowers in many rows. Pappus capillary. 



* * Flowers all tubular. Stem leafy. 

 11. ADENOCAULON. Head few-flowered ; the outer flowers pistillate. Pappus none. 



TRIBK III. A STEROIDE^E. Heads discoid, with the flowers all alike and tubuiar ; or 

 radiate, the outer ones ligulate and pistillate Branches of the style in the peitect flow^ 



