COMPOSITE FAMILY. Compositae. 



tubular florets and 6-10 large rays. 2-5 feet high. Dry- 

 soil, Mass., south to Ga., and west to Mmn. and S. Dak. 



A slightly fragrant species, distinctly dif- 

 Go"den=rod ferent from all the foregoing. The very 

 SoUdago small flowers in a. flat-topped cluster, and 



lanceolata the verij small, toothless, lance-shaped, nar- 



ortobeV^^*^'^ row wiUowhke, light green leaves with 3-5 

 ribs and very rough edges. The stem is 

 straight, angular in section, with the ridges minutely 

 rough, and terminates in a thin, wiry-branched flower- 

 cluster not at all showy in color ; the tiny flower-heads 

 in small crowded groups ; 12-20 minute rays. 2-4 feet 

 high. On river-banks, borders of damp woods, or in 

 moist situations, everywhere. 



Slender -^ Somewhat similar, resinously fragrant 



Goiden=rod species ; the difference apparent in the 

 Soiidago slenderer, smoother stem and tlie very 



tenuifoha narrow, linear, dotted leaves, commonly 



one-ribbed. The tiny flower-heads, with 6-12 rays, in 

 numerous groups of 2-3, forming a flat-topped cluster 

 15-18 inches high. In dry sandy soil mostly near the 

 coast. Mass., south, and west to 111, 



The genus Aster, named from ddrr'/p, a star, is a varied 

 and beautiful, late-flowering tribe which, with SoUdago, 

 monopolizes the roadsides and bj'ways in autumn. The 

 species are distinguished apart in much the same way as 

 in SoUdago. The ray-florets are pistillate, the tubular 

 florets (upon the disc) perfect, with a flve-parted yellow 

 corolla, which with age turns dull magenta. Fertilized 

 mostly by honeybees, bumblebees, and the beelike flies. 

 All the asters yield an abundance of nectar. 



A small white aster, not showy but com- 



• \^^ ^^^ ^ mon in thin woods. The stem is rather 



land Aster 



Aster smooth, a trifle zig-zagged, and quite slen- 



(leraricatns der ; the olive green leaves are coarsely 



White toothed, slender-stemmed, heart-shaped, 



OctobTr*'^'^ sharp-pointed, and smooth. The white 



flowers, as broad as a " nickel,"' have only 



6-9 rays : the disc-flowers tarn madder purple with age. 



1-2 feet high. Me.. soiUh to Ga., and west. 



J 



484 



