78 A GUIDE TO THE WILD FLOWERS 



Flowers lavender; stem reddish. .Large-leaved Aster no. 862 

 Leaves not toothed, or only very slightly so 

 Flowers white 



Stem leaves narrow, the margins parallel or nearly so; 



flower heads very numerous . . White Heath Aster no. 863 



Stem leaves oval-pointed, the margins not parallel ; flower 



heads fewer Flat-top Aster no. 864 



Flowers violet, blue, or purple 



Salt marsh plant Salt Marsh Aster no. 865 



Not salt marsh plants 



Plants of moist or wet places 



Stems rough-hairy New England Aster^ no. 866 



Stems smooth 't 



Flowers blue Smooth Aster no. 867 



Flowers violet New York Aster no. 868 



Plants of dry places 

 Flower heads violet, terminating the branchlets; plants 



mostly under i ft. high Stiff Aster no. 869 



Flower heads in clusters, not terminating the branchlets 



Flower heads in a raceme ; leaves silky 



Silvery Aster no. 870 



Flower heads not in racemes ; leaves not silky 



Showy Aster no. 871 



853. Purple Cone-flower. Echinacea purpurea. {Braiincria 

 purpurea.) A stout, stiff perennial 2-5 ft. high. Leaves 

 toothed, the lov^er short-stalked, the upper nearly stalkless, 

 mostly with 3 or 5 principal veins, 3-6 in. long, about half 

 as wide, pointed at the tip. Flower heads long stalked, about 

 3 in. wide, the rays purple, sometimes drooping. In moist 

 places, Virginia to Alabama, and westward, but sometimes 

 as a weed further north. August. The center of the flower 

 head is cone-shaped. Fig. 853. 



854. White Wood Aster. Aster divaricatm. A very vari- 

 able and common Aster in dry woods. Basal leaves oval and 

 heart-shaped, 3-6 in. long, toothed, stalked, and rather thin. 

 Stem leaves much smaller and with fewer teeth. Flowers 

 white, the cluster of flower heads broad, flattish, and much 

 branched. Flower heads about j4 ^^- wide. Ontario to 

 Georgia, and westward. September. Fig. 854. 



855. Mountain Aster. Aster acuminatus. A slender Aster, 

 1-4 ft. high, with a noticeably zig-zag stem. Leaves oblong, 

 gradually tapering to a narrow point, wedge-shaped and 

 stalkless at the base, hairy on the veins beneath, 3>^-5 in. 



