COMPOSITE FAMILY. Compositas. 



Perhaps the tallest member of the Com 

 Great Ragweed ' . r + c. 



Ambrosia posite group, not excepting Lactuca. Stem 



trifida stout, hah'y or nearly smooth, and fiilt d 



Green with a frostlike pith ; leaves deeply threc- 



^"'f~ h lobed and sharp- pointed, the teeth irregu- 



lar and acute. The insignificant small 

 flowers form a terminal, pointed cluster (these are stami- 

 nate), or spring from between the opposite-growing 

 leaves and the stem (these are usually pistillate). Wil- 

 liam Hamilton Gibson records a ragweed 18 feet 4 inches 

 long. Common in moist soil, occasional in Vt. and N. H. 

 A common weed with remarkably orna- 

 Roman Worni= ^^ental, cut leaves resembling those of 

 wood or ,.(•//-. -^ T- 1 ^ A 



Hogweed Artemisia (Composite Family). An an- 



Ambrosia arte- nual with a mucli-branched, fine-hairy 

 r?; isicefolia stem and thin , lifeless light green , dissected 



^''^^" leaves. The slender spikes of the green 



September staminate flowers are numerous and some- 

 what decorative. The tiny fruit is fur- 

 nished with 6 short acute spines. 1-5 feet high. 

 Troublesome in door-yards and gardens, eveiy where. 

 Q^ Like the sunflower, with perfect ray- 



Heliojjsis icevis ^^^ disc-flow^ers, the 10 straplike rays 

 Yellow rather showj^ ; the stem and leaves smooth, 



August- the latter deep green, broad lance-shaped, 



ep em er three-ribbed, and toothed, growing oppo- 

 sitely. 3-5 feet high. In copses. N. Y. , south, west to 111. 

 Heliopsis ^ similar species, but distinguished by 



scabra its rougli stem and leaves, which are less 



June- narrowly pointed, and its somewhat larger 



September flowers."^ 2-4 feet high. Me., N. J. to 111. 



A showy western species with handsome 

 Black Sampson flo^vers whose light or deep magenta petals 

 Cone=flower gi'acefully droop and are two-toothed at 

 Echinacea the tip. The disc is madder purple, its 



purpurea florets are perfect ; the ray-flowers are pis- 



Magenta tj^^i-g b^j^ sterile. The five-ribbed, deep 



September green lower leaves are rough, sharply 



toothed, and pointed ovate: the upper ones 

 are stemless and toothless. Stem smooth or slightly hairy. 

 3-3 feet high. Rich soil, N. Y. , 111. , Mich. , south to Tex. 

 506 



