172 WEEDS AND USEFUL PLANTS. 



fade flat, mostly alveolate, (or pitted.) Akenes usually compressed, 

 Pappus simple, of capillary bristles. Heads corymbose, paniculate, or 

 racemose ; rays purple, white, or blue. 



1. A. ericoi'des, L. Smoothish, much branched, the simple leafy 

 branchlets or peduncles racemose and mostly unilateral on the virgate 

 spreading branches ; leaves rather rigid, the radical and lower cauline 

 ones oblanceolate or oblong-spatulate, tapering to a margined petiole, 

 the others linear-lanceolate and linear-subulate, acuto at each end ; 

 heads small, numerous, solitary on the branchlets ; involucre hemispheri- 

 cal or subturbinate, the scales loosely imbricated, linear-oblong, acute, 

 spreading at apex. 



ERICA, OR HEATH-LIKE ASTER. 



Stem 1 - 2 or 3 feet high, often branched from the base. Radical leaves 1 - 3 or 4 inches 

 long, sparingly serrate, ciliate, tapering to a petiole nearly as long as the leaf ; stem-leaves 

 1-3 inches long, those on the, branchlets smaller, subulate-linear. Rays white, or often 

 tinged with pale purple, the disk often becoming reddish purple. 



Sterile soils ; old fields, pastures, &c.: throughout the United States. Fl. August -Sep- 

 tember. Fr. October. 



Obs. Many species of this genus meet the eye of the farmer, in the 

 latter part of summer, in his woodlands, low grounds, borders of thick- 

 ets, &c., some of which species are quite ornamental ; but the little 

 bushy one here described (which, I believe, has not acquired a common 

 name,) is almost the only one which invades our pastures to any material 

 extent. In thinnish old fields, it sometimes becomes an abundant as it 

 is always a very worthless weed. Good culture, and enriching the soil, 

 soon cause it to disappear. 



The commonly-cultivated China Aster is placed by most botanists in 

 an allied genus, Callistephus ; in the most prized varieties of which, 

 known as " German Asters," the rays are not developed, but the disk 

 flowers are very large. There are over 30 species of native Aster in the 

 Northern States, and many more at the South ; some of these are quite 

 showy in cultivation. 



5. ERIG'ERON, L. FLEA-BANE. 



[Greek, Er, spring, and Geron, an old man ; the plant being hoary in spring.] 



Heads many-flowered, somewhat hemispherical ; ray-florets very nume- 

 rous and usually 'n more than one series, pistillate, those of the disk 

 tubular, perfect. Scales of the involucre mostly equal, narrow, in a 

 nearly single series. Receptacle flat, naked, punctate. Akenes com- 

 pressed, usually pubescent. Pappus a single series of capillary scabrous 

 bristles, often with minute ones intermixed, or sometimes with an exte- 

 rior coroniform pappus of subulate scales. Heads corymbose or panicu- 

 late. 



* Pappus single; rays inconspicuous, white. 



