COMPOSITE FAMILY. Composite. 



A common species with usually madder 

 stemmed Aster i^"''-^^^ ^^^"^' I'ough-hairy and stout. The 

 Aster puniceus light green leaves, lance-shaped or nar- 

 Light purple rower, sparingly and coarsely toothed, 

 August- clasp the upper branches. Flowers about 



the size of a silver quarter or larger, 

 light violet or light lilac-purple with 20-24 rays, the 

 tubular florets yellow. 3-7 feet high. In moist places 

 and swamps everywhere, and quite variable ; var. com- 

 pactus (Fernald) is stout, hairy, the thick leaves a trifle 

 diamond- shaped but very narrow, coarsely toothed. The 

 flowers compactly clustered; West Somerville, Mass., 

 also New Haven, Conn. Ysir.firmus, with smooth, green 

 stem, slightly rough above. Var. lucididus smooth, with 

 lance-sliaped toothless (nearly so), shining leaves, 



A common aster in moist thickets, and 

 ^ , \, , the borders of damp woods. With few 



umbel la tus i • i 



Y^jjj^g narrow white rays which are generally 



curved backward. The flowers are borne 

 in flat-topped clusters. The small flowers numerous but 

 not showy, the tubular florets purpling with age. The 

 veiny leaves, long lance-shaped and sparingly toothed, 

 extend to the top of the plant. 2-7 feet high. Com- 

 mon northward in shaded and moist places. 



A small species with linear leaves, one- 

 linariifolius "bbed, rough-edged, without teeth, and 

 Light violet rigid. The rather large solitary flowers 

 September- light violet or rarely lilac-white. 1-2 feet 

 October high. Common ever}^ where in dry situ- 



ations. 



A low u'oodland species with large, 

 w rt A^t^^ scrawny flowers having 10-16 narrow 

 Aster white or lilac-white rays, and generally 



acniniriafus magenta tubular florets. The large, sharp- 

 White or pointed, coarse-toothed dark green leaves, 

 I ac=w 1 e thin, and broad lance-shaped, tapering to 

 September both ends, often arranged nearly in a circle 



beneath the few long-stemmed flowers. 

 10-16 inches high. In cool rich woods. Me. and N. Y., 

 south in the mountains to Ga. In the White Mountains. 



496 



