COMPOSITE. (COMPOSITE FAMILY.) 301 



leaves, and racemose-panicled mostly nodding heads. Flowers greenish-whita 

 or yellowish, often tinged with purple ; late summer and autumn. Our specie* 

 belong to the subgenus Ndbalus. The original European species has soft 

 white pappus. (Name from irpnv^s, drooping, and &v6ri, blossom.) 



* Htads rather broad, 25-35-flowered, in a corymbose panicle. 



1. P, crepidinea, Michx. Somewhat smooth ; stem stout (5 - 9 high), 

 bearing numerous nodding heads in loose clusters; leaves large (6-12' long), 

 broadly triangular-ovate or halberd-form, strongly-toothed, contracted into 

 winged petioles; pappus brown. (Nabalus, DC.) Rich soil, Penn. and 

 western N. Y. to Minn., and southward. Flowers cream-color. 



* * Heads narrow, 8 - 15-flowered, in a long raceme-like or thyrsoid inflorescence , 



stems simple ; cauline leaves sessile ; pappus straw-color. 

 -t- Inflorescence pubescent, strict; heads nearly erect , 12-15-jlowered. 



2. P. racembsa, Michx. Stem 2-5 high, smooth and glaucous, as 

 well as the oval or oblong-lanceolate denticulate leaves ; the lower tapering 

 into winged petioles (rarely cut-pinnatifid), the upper partly clasping ; heads 

 in crowded clusters ; flowers purplish. (Nabalus, DC.) Plains, N. Maine to 

 N. J., Mo., and northward. Var. PINNAT* FIDA, Gray, the leaves all lyrately 

 pinnatifid. Hackensack marshes, N. J. 



3. P. aspera, Michx. Stem 2-4 high, rough-pubescent, as well as the 

 oval-oblong or broadly lanceolate toothed leaves ; upper leaves not clasping ; 

 heads in small clusters ; flowers larger, cream-color. (Nabalus asper, Torr. fr 

 Gray.) Dry prairies and barrens, Ohio to Iowa, and southward. 



- - Whole plant glabrous ; heads nodding, 8- \Z-flowered ; thyrse looser. 



4. P. virgata, Michx. {SLENDER RATTLESNAKE-ROOT.) Slightly glau- 

 cous ; stem 2-4 high, prolonged into a naked and slender spiked raceme (l- 

 2 long) ; heads clustered and mostly unilateral ; leaves lanceolate, acute, 

 closely sessile, the upper reduced to bracts, the lower toothed or pinnatifid ; 

 involucre (purplish) of about 8 scales. (Nabalus, DC.) Sandy pine barrens, 

 N. J. to Va., and southward. 



5. P. Mainensis, Gray. Stem 2 high, leafy ; leaves as in n. 2, but the 

 radical ovate and more abruptly narrowed to the short petiole ; heads persist- 

 ently drooping on slender pedicels. St. John's River, N. Maine (Pringle). 

 Perhaps a hybrid between n. 2 and 7. 



* * * Heads 5-18-flowered, racemose or paniculate, commonly pendulous; 

 leaves variable, mostly petiolate, the lower cordate or truncate or hastate at base. 



*- Involucre cylindrical ; scales scarious-margined , the outer very short, appressed. 

 +* Pappus reddish-brown; stem tall, generally purplish. 



6. P. alba, L. (WHITE LETTUCE. RATTLESNAKE-ROOT.) Smooth and 

 glaucous (2-4 high) ; stem corymbose-panicled at the summit; leaves angu- 

 late or triangular-halberd-form, sinuate-toothed 6r 3-5-cleft, the uppermost 

 oblong and undivided; involucre (purplish) of about 8 scales, 8 - 1 2-flowered. 

 (Nabalus, Hook.) Borders of rich woods ; common, especially northward. 



** *-* Pappus dirty straw-color or whitish ; leaves very variable. 



7. P. serpentaria, Pursh. (LION'S-FOOT. GALL-OF-THE-EARTH.) Nearly 

 smooth ; stem corymbose-panicled at the summit, commonly 2 high ; leaves 



