GOLDEN-ROD AND ASTER 



One of the commonest species, and one of the 

 earliest to blossom, is the rough golden-rod, a 

 plant with hairy stem, thick, rough, oblong leaves, 

 and small heads, each one of which is made up of 

 from seven to nine ray-flowers and from four to Early to 

 seven disk-flowers. Occasionally it will be found 

 growing to a height of five or six feet, but ordina- 

 rily it is one of the lowest of the genus. The elm- 

 leaved species is a somewhat similar-looking plant, 

 with thinner, larger leaves, a smooth stem, and 

 with only about four ray-flowers to each little 

 head. The so-called Canadian golden-rod, with 

 its tall, stout stem, pointed, sharply toothed leaves 

 and short ray-flowers, is one of the commonest 

 varieties. 



The lance-leaved species is seldom recognized as 

 a member of the tribe, because of its flat-topped 

 clusters, which form a striking contrast to the Lanct- 

 slender, wand-like racemes which usually charac- species 

 terize the genus. It is often mistaken for the tansy, 

 which is also a yellow composite, but which is 

 quite dissimilar in detail, having deeply divided 

 leaves, the segments of which are cut and toothed, 

 and sometimes much crisped and curled, and but- 

 ton-like, deep-hued flower-heads, which appear to 

 be devoid of ray-flowers. Strictly speaking, the Tansy 

 tansy is not a wild flower with us. It was brought 

 from Europe to the gardens of New England, 



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