COMPOSITE FAMILY. Composite. 



the flowers small, light golden yellow, 7-15 long rays. 

 The flower-cluster is generally cylindrical, but bending 

 at the top of the unbranched stem. 3-7 feet high, but 

 seldom tall. Copses and dry roadsides, everywhere. 



A tall, stout, coarse species with lance- 

 d shaped, dull olive green, sharply toothed, 

 Soiidago triple-ribbed leaves, rough above, a trifle 



Canadensis woolly beneath, and tapering to a point at 

 Golden yellow either end, the uppermost leaves nearly 

 ug " s ~ toothless. The flower-heads are small, with 



5-15 short rays ; the greenish golden yel- 

 low clusters plumelike and large, but not striking. 3-7 

 feet high. Common everywhere (except at the seaside) 

 in copse borders and on roadsides in dry situations. 

 Quite variable ; the var. procera with slightly toothed or 

 toothless leaves rather gray- woolly beneath, and the var. 

 scabra (N. Y. and Pa. , south) also with leaves sparingly 

 toothed or toothless, very rough above and hairy-veined 

 beneath, the flower-heads somewhat larger. 



One of the most brilliant of all the 

 Gray 

 Golden=rod golden-rods. A rather low, late-flowering 



Soiidago species remarkable for its rich deep golden 



nemoralis yellow flowers and its simple, unbranched, 



green-gray stem, which with the leaves is 

 covered with minute grayish hairs. The 

 leaves are three-ribbed, dull olive green, rough, thick, 

 dull-toothed, and generally broad lance-shaped, some- 

 what wider at the farther end, the lower ones tapering 

 to a stem ; little leaflets are on either side of the bases of 

 the larger leaves. Flowers with 5-9 rays, the cluster 

 generally forming a thickly set one-sided plume. 6-25 

 inches high. Common everywhere, beside sandy roads 

 and in dry pastures, except at the seaside. 



A less common species distinguished for 

 Hard=leaved 

 Golden=rod its spreading, flat-topped cluster, which is 



Soiidago usually quite thick. The stout, leafy 



rigida stem is covered with dense fine hairs ; the 



August- rough, thick, narrowly oval leaves, feath- 



October J . . , ' 



er- veined and extremely rigid, the upper 



ones broad at the base and clasping at the stem, tooth- 

 lees or nearly so. The large flower-heads with about 30 



482 



