72 



ASTER ASTILBE. 



a reddish hue. North America. 



Borders and banks, in common soil. 

 Division. 



Aster sericeus (Silky Starwort). 

 A greyish herb, with numerous 

 slender stems, 1 to 2 ft. high. Flowers, 

 late in summer and in autumn ; deep 

 blue, about 1 in. across, usually 

 terminating the short branchlets. 

 Leaves, lance- shaped, silky, about 

 an inch long, obscurely 3-nerved, 

 crowded on the branches, those of the 

 root about 3 in. long, distinctly 3- 



nerved. North America. Borders, 



in warm, well-drained soil, or on 

 sunny banks. Division. 



Aster Shortii (Short's Aster). A 

 very pretty species, with a slender, 

 spreading, nearly smooth stem, 2 to 

 4 ft. high. Flowers, in autumn; pur- 

 plish-blue, about 1 in. across, nume- 

 rous, in long racemose panicles. Leaves, 

 lanceolate, or ovate-lanceolate, elon- 

 gated, gradually tapering to a point, 

 3 to 5 in. long, all but the uppermost 

 more or less heart-shaped at the base. 

 N. America. Borders, and natu- 

 ralization, in ordinary soil. Division. 



Aster tardiflorus (Late Starwort). 

 A very free-flowering kind, about 

 3 ft. high. Flowers, in autumn ; 

 florets of the ray light rosy lilac ; disk 

 at first yellow, afterwards purplish. 

 Leaves, alternate, oblong- lance-shaped, 

 of a deep green ; upper stem-leaves 



very small. N.America. Borders, 



in any soil. Division. 



Aster Tradescantii (Michaelmas 

 Daisy). A very late-flowering kind, 

 3 to nearly 5 ft. high. Flowers, in 

 October ; florets of the ray white ; 

 disk at first yellow, afterwards pur- 

 plish. Leaves, alternate, oval-lance- 

 shaped, acute, of a handsome green, 

 sometimes tinged with red ; the lower 

 ones often toothed in the middle. 



N. America. Naturalization in 



semi- wild places, in any soil. Divi- 

 sion. 



Aster turbinellus (Mauve Starwort}. 

 A fine showy kind, with smooth 

 stem and paniculate branches, 2 to 

 3 ft. high. Flowers, late in summer 

 and in autumn ; delicate mauve, in 

 panicles; involucre top-shaped, scales 

 overlapping each other. Leaves, lance- 

 shaped, smooth, entire, with fringed 

 margins, tapering to each end, slightly 

 stem-clasping, those of the thread- 

 like branchlets awl-shaped. North 



America. Borders, with groups of 



handsomer autumn-flowering peren- 

 nials, and naturalization. Grows freely 

 anywhere, but is worthy of good soil. 

 Division. 



Aster versicolor (Various-coloured 

 Starwort). A dwarf neat species, the 

 branches often prostrate from the 

 crowd of flowers at their apex, 9 to 

 15 in. high. Flowers, in summer ; very 

 showy, white at first, changing into 

 pink or purple. Leaves, smooth, 

 oblong-lance-shaped, tapering to a 

 point ; lower ones serrate in the 

 middle, upper ones stem-clasping, en- 

 tire. Said to have been found in 

 N. America, but not recorded by recent 



American botanists. Front of the 



mixed border, in sandy loam ; on the 

 rougher part of rockwork, or on banks 

 in sandy loam, and in sunny positions. 

 Division. 



Astilbe rivularis (Rivulet A.} A 

 vigorous, handsome Spircea-like peren- 

 nial, 3 to 4 ft. high. Flowers, in 

 summer ; greenish-yellow, in spiked 

 racemes. Leaves, alternate; leaflets 

 ovate, doubly serrate, hairy beneath, 



as are also the stalks. Nepal. As 



isolated specimens in the subtropical 

 garden or pleasure-ground, among 

 vigorous herbs, by wood- walks or mar- 

 gins of shrubberies, in sandy loam. 

 Division. 



Astilbe rubra (Red Astilbe). An 

 ornamental species ; as yet rare 

 in gardens, 4 ft. to 6 ft. high. 

 Flowers, late in summer and in 



