COMPOSITE FAMIT.Y. 175 



6. SOLIDA'GO, L. GOLDEN-ROD. 



[latin, Solido, to unite, or make firm ; from its supposed healing virtues.] 



Heads few- or sometimes many-flowered ; ray-florets few, pistillate ; disk- 

 florets tubular, perfect. Scales of the obong involucre imbricated, 

 appressed, not green or foliaceous at apex. Receptacle small, mostly 

 naked. Akenes many-ribbed, somewhat terete. Pappus simple, con- 

 sisting of numerous scabrous capillary bristles, mostly equal. Heads 

 in terminal or axillary racemes, with the pedicels often unilateral, 

 sometimes corymbose. Perennials, with wand-like stems and nearly 

 sessile stem leaves, never heart-shaped. 



1. S. nemora'lis, -A.it. Stem simple or corymbosely branched above, 

 clothed with a very short velvety cinereous pubescence ; radical leaves 

 obovate-cuneate or spatulate, tapering into a petiole, sparingly crenate- 

 serrate, cauline ones oblanceolate, nearly entire, rough ish-pubescent ; 

 racemes numerous, short, dense, unilateral, at length recurved-spreading, 

 often corymbose-paniculate ; scales of the involucre lance-oblong, obtuse, 

 appressed ; akenes pubescent with white appressed hairs. 

 WOOD OR GROVE SOLID AGO. Golden-rod. 



Whole plant of an ash-colored or greyish aspect, by reason of its short cinereous pu- 

 bescence. Stem. 1-2 or 3 feet high, sometimes branched from near the root. Radical 

 leaves 1-4 or 5 inches long, with petioles 1-3 inches long. Heads with 3-6 disk-florets, 

 and 6-9 ray-florets, in secund racemes or (in stunted branched specimens) often- in 

 small axillary clusters ; rays rather short, spatu late-oblong. 



Sterile, neglected old fields ; borders of woods, &c. : throughout the United States. 

 Fl. August -September. Fr. October. 



Obs. Several species of Solidago (or Golden-rod, as they are all 

 named, in the vernacular tongue) some of them much larger than this 

 occur along fence-rows, borders of woods and thickets, &c. They 

 are all no better than weeds on a farm : but this is the one which 

 mostly intrudes upon neglected pasture grounds, and has therefore 

 been selected for description, as a sample of the genus. It is speedily 

 banished by good farming, as most of our native weeds are, or may be. 

 S, odo'ra, Ait. The "Sweet Golden-rod" is found in dry soil it is 

 distinguished by the smoothish, entire, linear-lanceolate leaves which 

 contain numerous pellucid dots of oil, with a pleasant odor. An infu- 

 sion of the herb is used as an aromatic stimulant. The oil is sometimes 

 distilled from the plant, and is used for the same purpose. 



7. IN'ULA, L. ELECAMPANE. 



[The ancient Latin name.] 



Heads large, many -flowered ; rays in a single series, very numerous, li- 

 near. Involucral scales loosely imbricated, in several series, the outer 

 foliaceous. Akenes 4-sided or terete ; pappus of capillary bristles. Pe- 

 rennial ; leaves often clasping ; heads solitary or corymbose ; flowers 



yellow. 



