Genus 32.] 



THISTLE FAMILY. 



33; 



32. LEUCELENE Greene, Pittonia, 3: 147. 1896. 



Low perennial herbs, with much branched leafy stems, sessile, rather rigid, narrow entire 

 leaves and small heads of both tubular and radiate white flowers, solitary at the ends of the 

 numerous slender branchlets, involucre turbinate, its bracts well imbricated. Disk-flowers 

 perfect, their corollas white, tubular-funnelform, 5-toothed. Ray-flowers numerous, white, 

 or drying red to rose, pistillate. Style appendages acutish. Acheues elongated, flattened, 

 hispidulous. Pappus a single series of slender rough white bristles. [Greek, referring to 

 the white disk.] 



One species, or more, native of the southwestern States and Mexico. 



i. Leucelene ericoides (Torr. ) Greene. 



Inula (?) ericoides Torr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. 2: 212. 1828. 

 Aster ericaefolius Rothrock, Bot. Gaz. 2: 70. 1877. 

 Leucelene ericoides Greene, Pittonia, 3: 148. 1896. 



Rose Heath Aster. 



Stems tufted from deep woody roots, corymbosely 

 much branched, 3 / -i2 / high, hispid or scabrous, 

 the branches erect or diffuse. Leaves hispid-ciliate, 

 erect, or slightly spreading, obtusish or mucronu- 

 late, the lower and basal ones spatulate, 3 // -6 // 

 long, tapering into short petioles, the upper ses- 

 sile, linear or linear-spatulate; heads terminating 

 the branches, 5 // -8 // broad; involucre broadly tur- 

 binate, its bracts lanceolate, appressed, scarious- 

 rnargiued, imbricated in 3 or 4 series; rays 12-15, 

 white to rose, 2 // -4 // long. 



In dry soil, western Nebraska to Kansas, Texas and 

 Mexico, west to California. May-Aug. 



33. BRACHYACTIS Ledeb. Fl. Ross. 2: 495. 1846. 



Annual, nearly glabrous, somewhat fleshy herbs, with narrow chiefly entire leaves, and 

 small racemose or racemose-paniculate heads of tubular, or also radiate purplish flowers. In- 

 volucre campanulate. Central flowers of the head few, perfect, their narrow corollas 4-5- 

 toothed; outer flowers pistillate, usually in 2 series or more, and more numerous than the 

 perfect ones; style-appendages lanceolate; rays very short, or none. Achenes 2-3-nerved, 

 slender, appressed-pubescent. Pappus a single series of nearly white bristles. [Greek, 

 short rays.] 



About 5 species, natives of western North America and northern Asia. 

 i. Brachyactis angustus (Lindl.) Britton. Rayless Aster. (Fig. 3808.) 



Tripoliurn angxistum Lindl. ; Hook. Fl. Bor. Am. 2 r 



15- 1834. 

 Aster angustus T. & G. Fl. N. A. 2: 162. 1841. 



Stem usually sparsely pubescent, at least above, 

 racemosely or rarely paniculately branched, 6 / -24 / ' 

 high, striate, at least when dry. Leaves linear, 

 fleshy, ciliate on the margins, acutish, entire, sessile 

 by a rather broad base, the basal (when present) 

 spatulate; heads 4 // -6 // broad, racemose on the as- 

 cending branches, or terminating them; involucre 

 campanulate or nearly hemispheric, 2 // ~3 // high, 

 its bracts linear or linear-oblong, somewhat foli- 

 aceous, green, acute or obtuse, imbricated in 2 or 3 

 series, glabrous or slightly ciliate, nearly equal; 

 rays none, or rudimentary; pappus soft and copious. 



In wet saline soil, or sometimes in waste places, 

 Minnesota to the Northwest Territory, Utah and Colo- 

 rado. Found also about Chicago. July-Sept. 



