406 



Minnesota Plant Life. 



while the outer is made up of short scales. Related to the 

 thoroughworts are the blazing-stars of the prairies and thickets, 

 some sorts being also very prominent in open pine woods. 

 These are wand-plants, with handsome pink or purple heads, 

 of massive appearance in ordinary varieties, all arranged in a 

 spike-like cluster at the end of the upright stem. The leaves 

 are very narrow, like short grass leaves. The gum-plant or 

 Grindelia, may be known by its sticky leaves and heads, the 

 latter with yellow rays and yellow disk flowers. 



FIG. 200. Autumnal vegetation of marsh border. Thoroughwort or joe-pye weed. After 



photograph by Williams. 



The goldenrods are, for the most part, w r and-plants with 

 densely panicled small yellow heads. In many varieties the 

 heads are arranged in one-sided racemes and these are aggre- 

 gated together in paniculate clusters, in three varieties becom- 

 ing flat-topped. Some goldenrods, found in prairie districts, 

 have rather narrow leaves, while others, natives of deep woods, 

 have them very 'broad, ovate or oblong. The different kinds 

 of goldenrods may be known by the sizes of the heads, by the 



