204 COMPOSITE. [AsTBK. 



2. AS'TER, L. 



Perennial herbs. Leaves alternate or radical, quite entire or toothed. 

 Heads solitary or many, usually radiate ; disk yellow, ray white blue or 

 purple ; invol. bracts many-seriate, herbaceous or leafy ; receptacle flat, 

 pitted, edges of the pits toothed. Ray-fl, 1 -seriate, ligulate, female ; disk- 

 fl. tubular, 5-toothed, 2 -sexual. Anther-cells simple. Style-arms of the 

 ray-fl. linear with thickened margins, of the disk-fl. short tipped with 

 papillose cones. Fruit compressed ; pappus-hairs many-seriate, persistent, 

 scabrid, unequal. DISTBIB. Most temp, and cold regions, chiefly 

 American ; species about 150. ETYM. from the star-like flowers. 



1. A. Tripo'liuxn, L. ; leaves lanceolate or obovate-lanceolate. 



Salt marshes, N. to Sutherland ; Ireland ; Channel Islands ; fl. July-Sept. 

 Root fusiform. Stem 2-3 ft., erect, sparingly branched, stout. Leaves 3-5 

 in., scattered, fleshy, slightly toothed or not, faintly 3-nerved, upper linear. 

 Heads J- in., corymbose, campanulate ; peduncle slender, bracts small; 

 invol. bracts few, oblong, obtuse, appressed. Ray-fl. whitish or purple, 

 many few or (var. discoideus). Fruit hairy; pappus dirty white. 

 DISTRIB. Sea coasts and salt regions of Europe (Arctic), N. and W. Asia. 

 A bad substitute for Samphire. 



2. A. Linosy'ris, Bernli. ; leaves linear quite entire. Chrysoco'ma 

 Linosy'ris, L. ; Linostfris vulga'ris, Cass. Goldielocks. 



Limestone rocks, N. Somerset, S. Devon, Carnarvon ; fl. Aug.-Sept. Glabrous. 

 Stems \-\-\ in., base woody, ribbed, simple, wiry, leafy. Leaves 2-3 in., very 

 narrow, acute, rather thick, gradually narrowed from beyond the middle to 

 the base, dotted, 1-nerved. Heads ^-f in. diam., in terminal, dense, hemi- 

 spheric corymbs ; peduncle slender, bracteate ; involucre gummy, puberulous ; 

 bracts subulate, much shorter than the flowers. Pappus 2-seriate, reddish. 

 DISTRIB. From the Baltic southd., N. Africa, Caucasus, Asia Minor. 



3. ERIG'ERON, L. FLEABANE. 



Characters of Aster, but ray-flowers many-seriate ; fruit narrower. 

 DISTRIB. Temp, and cold regions ; species about 80. ETYM. ijpLyepwv, 

 the name given to groundsel, from its hairy down. 



1. E. alpi'num, L. ; leaves radical, scape with 1 or few broad heads, 

 ligules much longer than the reddish pappus. E. umflorus, Sm. not L. 



Alpine rocks, Breadalbane and Clova Mts. ; ascends to 3,000 ft. ; fl. July-Aug. 

 Perennial, hispid, hairy. Rootstock short. Radical leaves spreading, 

 oblong-lanceolate ; caulkie few, linear-oblong. Scapes solitary or few, 6-8 

 in. Heads 1-3, in. diam.; peduncle stout, eglandular ; invol. bracts 

 almost villous, subulate-lanceolate. Ray-fl. very many, purple, ligule very 

 slender ; disk-fl. yellow. Fruit hispid. DISTRIB. Alps and Arctic regions 

 of Europe, Asia, N. America, S. Chili, Fuegia. 



2. E. a'cre, L. ; stem leafy branched above, heads J-j in. diam. 



panicled, ligules scarcely longer than the reddish pappus. 



