ASTER. 



71 



greater perfection than in a garden, 

 and it would form a good covert. Di- 



Aster Novi-Belgii (New 

 Starwort.} A smooth, herb, with stout 

 stems ; the branches upright, racemose, 

 or somewhat corymbose, 3 to 5 ft. 

 high. Floivers, in autumn ; blue, either 

 solitary on short branchlets, or in 

 crowded racemes at the tops of axillary 

 branches. Leaves, thickish, pale, and 

 smooth, or slightly rough on the 

 margins and upper surface, some- 

 what lance-shaped, serrate, tapering 

 to each end, acute, the lower ones 

 partly clasping by the narrow base, 

 the others short, clasping by a broader 

 base, often entire. North America. 



Position, soil, etc., the same as 



recommended for A. Novce Anglice. 



Aster obliquus (Oblique Starwort.} 

 A plant deserving of notice for its 

 luxuriant and prolonged flowering, 

 and growing in immense tufts, nearly 

 5 ft. high. Flowers, in autumn ; nu- 

 merous, florets of the ray white, disk 

 purplish. Leaves, alternate, lower 

 ones linear-lance-shaped, oblique ; 

 upper stem-leaves much smaller. 

 North America. Borders and semi- 

 wild places in any soil. Division. 



Aster patens (Spreading A.) A very 

 fine kind, with procumbent stems, 

 1 to 2 ft. long. Flowers, in autumn ; 

 purplish-blue, about 1 in. across, soli- 

 tary, on long spreading stalks, clothed 

 with very minute clasping leaves. 

 Leaves, over 1 in. long, rough, oval, 

 pointed, with a broad, clasping base. 

 North America. Borders, rock- 

 work, and naturalization on bare 

 banks, etc., in ordinary soil. Divi- 

 sion. 



Aster pendulus (Pendulous Aster.} 

 A pretty kind, about 2^ ft. high. 

 Flowers, in autumn ; small, very hand- 

 some, pure white at first, becoming 

 rose-coloured afterwards ; disk small 

 and changing in colour, like the florets 



of the ray. Leaves, oval, lance -shaped, 

 those at the top of the stem much 



smaller. North America. Border 



or shrubbery margins, in any soil. Di- 

 vision. 



Aster puniceus (Purple- stemmed A .) 

 A very tall and stout species, with 

 rough, hairy stems, 3 to 6 ft. high, 

 usually purple below, panicled above. 

 Flowers, late in autumn ; lilac-blue, 

 with yellow centre, an inch across, in 

 a very large pyramidal panicle. Leaves, 

 oblong-lance-shaped, clasping at the 

 base, sparingly serrate in the middle, 

 rough above, nearly smooth under- 

 neath, pointed. North America. 



Borders, naturalization, and shrub- 

 beries, in any soil. Division. 



Aster pyrenaeus (Pyrenean Star- 

 wort.} A very large, handsome, and 

 early autumn-flowering kind, 2 to 

 3 ft. high. Flowers, large, lilac- blue 

 with yellow disk, in a short corymb 

 of 3 to 5 heads, sometimes solitary. 

 Leaves numerous, rather firm, but not 

 fleshy, rough on both sides with small 

 hairs, which issue from glands ; those 

 of the stem, oblong-lanceolate, acute, 

 half embracing the stem, sharply 

 toothed on the upper part. Pyrenees. 



Borders, fringes of shrubberies, 



and naturalization on banks, copses, 

 etc., in any soil. Division. 



Aster Reevesi (Hort.} Beeves 's A. 

 A dwarf species, with slender, branch- 

 ing stems, 9 to 12 in. high. Flowers, 

 in autumn ; small, white, with yellow 

 centre, very numerous, forming a 

 dense pyramidal panicle. Leaves, very 

 small, linear, acute. North America. 

 Borders and rockwork, in ordi- 

 nary soil. Division. 



Aster rubricaulis (Red-stemmed Star- 

 wort}. A. very distinct species, 3j to 

 nearly 4 ft. high. Flowers, in au- 

 tumn ; few, large ; florets of the ray 

 narrow, of a lilac-blue ; disk yellow. 

 Leaves, alternate, oblong-lance-shaped, 

 of a glaucous green colour ; stems of 



