780 COMPOSITAE (C<)Mt*OSlTE FAMILY) 



Flowers bright yellow to deep orange-red. 

 Achenes beaked. 



Achenes lO-ribbed 102. Agoneris. 



Achenes 4-5-ribbed 103. Pyrrhopappus 



Achenes not beaked. 

 Pappus white. 



Leaves entire 102. Af/oseris. 



Leaves toothed or nncinate-pinnatifid .... 104. Crepis. 

 Pappus tawny 106. Hieracium. 



1. VERN6nIA Schreb. Ihonweed 



Heads discoid, ir)-many-tiowered, in corymbose cymes ; flowers perfect ; in- 

 volucre shortei' than tlie flowers, of mucli imbricated bracts. Achenes cylin- 

 drical, ribbed ; pappus double, the outer of minute scale-like bristles, the inner 

 of copious capillary bristles. — Perennial herbs, with leafy stems, alternate 

 acuminate or very acute serrate leaves and mostly purple (rarely white) flowers. 

 (Named for William Verno)i, an early English botanist, who traveled in North 

 America. ) 



Involucral bracts tipped with long filiform spreading appendages. 

 Heads large, mostly 60-SO-tlowered ; involucre 1.4-2 cm. in diameter . 1. V, crinita. 

 Heads smaller, usually about 40-flowered ; involucre about 1 cm. in 

 diameter. 



Pappus purple or at least purplish-tinged 2. F. noveboracensis. 



Paiipus cream-colored or stramineous 3. F. glaticu. 



Involucral bracts obtuse, acute, or acuminate, but not conspicuously 

 caudate. 

 Lower surface of the leaves smooth or merely puberulent. 



Cyme dense, fastigiate c . . . 4. V.fdneiculata. 



Cyme open and loose, the branches wide-spreading . . . . 5. F. altiHsima. 

 Lower surface of the leaves tomentulose. 

 Involucral bracts obtuse to acute, appressed or nearly so. 



Pappus i)uiple 6. F. illinoenfiis. 



Pappus tawny , .... 7. V. }i'is.sic)-i('a. 



Involucral bracts with acuminate more or less squarrose tips . . S, V. Baldwini. 



1. V. crinita Raf. Tall, nearly glabrous; leaves linear-lanceolate, retrorsely 

 denticulate; heads large., usitally 6Q-80-tlowered ; involucre verysquarro.se, the 

 bracts with In n(i filiform tips. (V. arkansana DC.) — Mo., Kan., and south w. 



2. V. noveboracensis Willd. Kather tall (1-2 m.) ; leaves long-lanceolate 

 to Jance-oblong, more or less pubescent beneath, gradually narrowed but not 

 at all acuminate toward the base ; cyme open ; heads mostlii SO-40-Jloivered ; 

 involucre purplish (or in white-flowered individuals green), campanulate ; the 

 bracts ovate or lance-ovate, with loosely avscending or recurved-spreading fili- 

 form tips ; papjius purple or purplish. — Low ground near the coast, Mass. to 

 Va. and Miss.; reported from Pelee T., L. Erie (Macoun). 



3. V. glaiica (L.) Willd. Similar to the preceding ; leaves mostly broader, 

 ovate-lanceolate, contracted at the base to an acuminate'ly winged petiolar 

 portion, paler and tending to be more loosely pubescent on the nerves beneath ; 

 involucral bracts mostly with sliorter filiform tips ; pappus cream-colored or 

 stramineous. ( V. noveboracensis, var. latijolia (iray.) — Pa. to Ga, and Ala. 



4. V. fasciculata Michx. Leaves ascending, narrow., linear to oJdong-lanceo- 

 late, green and nearly glabrous beneath; heads rather small, about 20-flo\vered, 

 many., crowded, in a fastigiate cyme ; involucral bracts closely appressed, obtuse 

 or the uppermo.st merely mueronate ; acln-nes mostly smooth as seen with an 

 ordinary lens ; flowers reddish-purple. — Prairies, O. to Minn., Neb., and Okla. 



5. V. altissim.a Nntt. Usually tall (1-2 or more m. high) ; leaves lance- 

 oblong, acnminate, spreading, smooth or merely p^iberiilent beneath; cyme 

 large., loidely .spreading, rother loose; heads about 2.j-flowered ; involucral 

 bracts closely appressed, ovate, acute, obtuse, or cnspidate, mostly purple-tinged ; 

 flowers red-])urple. ( V. maxima Small.) — Rich soil of prairies, etc., N. Y. to 

 Mich., Mo., ;i)id soutliw. ; also sporadic northeastw. 



G. V. illinoensis (ileason. 'i'all and rather stout ; leaves large, oblong- 

 lanceolate, .acuminate, tomentulose and sliglitly scabrous beneath ; heads 

 medium-sized, about 40-flowered, sessile or shortly and .stoutly pediceled in a 



