246 COMPOSITE. (COMPOSITE FAMILY.) 



capillary bristles. Flowers yellow. Leaves scattered, oblanceolate or linear, 

 1 - 3-nerved. A large western genus, few species approaching our limits. 

 (Dedicated by De Candolle to Dr. Jacob Bigelow, author of the JFlorula Bos- 

 toniensis, and of the American Medical Botany.) 



1. B. nud&ta, DC. A smooth perennial; the slender stem (1 -2 high) 

 simple or branched from the base, naked above, corymbose at the summit, 

 bearing small heads in a flat-topped corymb. Low pine barrens, N. J. (rare), 

 and southward. Sept. 



17. SOLIDAGO, L. GOLDEN-ROD. 



Heads few - many-flowered, radiate ; the rays 1 -16, pistillate. Scales of the 

 oblong involucre appressed, destitute of herbaceous tips (except n. 1 and 2). 

 Receptacle small, not chaffy. Achenes many-ribbed, nearly terete ; pappus 

 simple, of equal capillary bristles. Perennial herbs, with mostly wand-like 

 stems and nearly sessile stem-leaves, never heart-shaped. Heads small, ra- 

 cemed or clustered; flowers both of the disk and ray (except n. 6) yellow. 

 (Name from sol id us and ago, to join, or make whole, in allusion to reputed 

 vulnerary qualities.) Flowering in autumn. 



Conspectus of Groups. 



Heads small, sessile in flat-topped corymbs ; leaves linear . ' . l - ; i . . 41,42 

 Heads all more or less pedicelled. 



Involucral scales rigid, with spreading herbaceous tips 1,2 



Involucral scales without green tips. 



Heads in a compound terminal corymb, not at all racemose .... 37-40 

 Heads small, mostly clustered in the axils of feather-veined leaves . . .3-7 

 Heads mostly large, in a terminal thyrse ; leaves feather-veined. 



Western species . . . . . . 8, 9 



Northern or mountain species 10-12 



Heads mostly small or middle-sized : inflorescence paniculate (sometimes thyrsoidal). 

 Leaves 3-ribbed ; heads in 1-sided .spreading panicled racemes. 



Stem and leaves smooth and glabrous 29-32 



Pubescent or scabrous . . . i""-'?-' V : 'v -, r ''.' -'. *i' ; " . 33-36 

 Leaves not 3-ribbed, or only obscurely triple-nerved. 



Heads large ; leaves thickish, very smooth, entire. Seashore . f -. _ h . 13 

 Panicle virgate or thyrsoid ; leaves nearly entire . .;,,,/* . 14-17 

 Heads very small in a short broad panicle : leaves nearly entire . . . 18-20 

 Heads racemosely paniculate ; leaves ample, the lower serrate . . 21-28 



1. VIRGAtlREA. Rays mostly fewer than the disk-flowers ; heads all more 

 or less pedicelled. 



# Scales of the much imbricated and rigid involucre with abruptly spreading 

 herbaceous tips ; heads in clusters or glomerate racemes, disposed in a dense 

 somewhat leafy and interrupted wand-like compound spike. 



1. S. squarrdsa, Muhl. Stem stout (2-5 high), hairy above; leaves 

 large, oblong, or the lower spatulate-oval and tapering into a margined petiole, 

 serrate, veiny ; heads numerous ; scales obtuse or acute ; disk-flowers 1 6 - 24, 

 the rays 12-16. Rocky and wooded hills, Maine and W. Yt. to Penn., 

 Ohio, and the mountains of Va. ; rather rare. 



2. S. petiol&ris, Ait. Minutely hoary or downy ; stem strict, simple (1 - 

 3 high); leaves small (-2' long), oval or oblong, mucronate, veiny, rough- 

 ciliolate ; the upper entire and abruptly very short-petioled, the lower often ser- 



