ASIMINA-ASTER. 79 



with 2 bracts; flowers sessile; styles 1-2. Sandy fields. N. J. to Car. 

 Flowers solitary, axillary, nearly sessile, pale yellow. This plant varies 

 so much in the size and number of its leaves, and in the number of its 

 styles, that it seems doubtful whether more than one species are not here 

 included. Sand. St. Peter's wort. 



ASIMINA. 12—13. (Annonm.) [From tlie Greek asomewos, sad.] 

 trilo'ba, (Ap. Ij.) leaves oblong, crenate, acuminate, and with the branches 

 smoothish ; flowers on short peduncles ; outer petals roundish ovate, 4 times 

 as long as the calyx. Banks of streams. N. Y. to Flor. Flowers solitary, 

 dark brown; fruit large, fleshy, eatable, sweetish. 15-20 f. American 

 papaw tree. 



ASPARAGUS. 6 — 1. {Asparagi.) [A Greek word, signifying a young slioot.] 

 officinci'lis, (asparagus, Ju. %..) stem herbaceous, unarmed, sub-erect, terete; 

 leaves bristle-form, soft ; stipules sub-solitary. Naturalized. 4 f. 



ASPHODELUS. 6—1. (Asphodeli.} [From the Greek apodelus, ashes, because it was for- 

 merly planted upon the graves of the dead.] 

 lu'tcus, (asphodel, king's spear, %.) stem leafy ; leaves 3-sided, striate. Ex. 

 ramo'sus, stem naked, leaves ensilorm, carinate, smooth. Ex. 



ASPIDIUM. 21—1. (Filices.) [From as/wrfcs, round like a shield ; shield-form.] 

 niargina'le, (Ju. %..) frond doubly-pinnate ; lesser leafets oblong, obtuse, de- 

 current, crenate ; more deeply crenate at the base ; fruit-dots marginal ; 

 stipe chaSy. 2-3 f. 



ASTER. 17—2. (CoTi/mbifercB.) [A Greek word, signifying star.] 

 A. Leaves entire. 



ri'gidus, (p. y. Au. %.) leaves linear, mucronate, sub-carinate, rigid ; margin 

 rough-ciliate; the cauline leaves reflexed, the branch ones spreading, sub- 

 ulate ; stem erect, somewhat branched above ; branchlets 1-flowered, co- 

 rymbed; calyx imbricate, twice as short as the disk ; scales obtusish, cari- 

 nate ; rays about 10-flowered, reflexed. Hardly a foot high. 



Ihiariifo'lms, (p. y. Au. %..) leaves thick set, nerveless, linear, mucronate, 

 dotted, carinate, rough, stiff", those on the brandies recurved : stem sub-de- 

 cumbent ; branches level-topped, 1-flowered; calyx imbricate, of the length 

 of the disk; stem rough, purplish. 



jnultijlo'rus, (w-y. Au. to Nov. '2|..) leaves linear, smoothish; stem very 

 branching, diffuse, pubescent ; branchlets one way ; calyx imbricate ; scales 

 oblong, scurvy, acute. 



S,exno'sus, (y. w-p. Au. %.) very glabrous; leaves subulate, linear, somewhat 

 fleshy, sub-reflexed, stem .slender, very branching; branches and branch- 

 lets spreading, bristle-form, 1-flowered; scales of the peduncles divaricate, 

 subulate ; calyx imbricate, scales close-pressed, acute. Salt marshes. 



zornifo'lius, (w. Au. %.) glabrous ; leaves oblong-ovate, acuminate, short-pe- 

 tioled ; margin rough; stem glabrous; panicle few-flowered; branches 

 2-flowered; calyx sub-imbricate. 



amygdali'nus, (w. S. %.) leaves lanceolate, tapering to the base, acuminate ; 

 margin rough ; stem simple, level-top-corymbed at the top ; calyx lax-im- 

 bricate ; scales lanceolate, obtuse ; rays large. 



nova-ang'licE, (b-p. Au. %.) leaves linear-lanceolate, pilose, clasping, auricled 

 at the base ; stem sub-simple, pilose, straight and stiff; flowers sub-sessile, 

 terminal, crowded ; scales of the calyx lax, coloured, lanceolate, longer 

 than the disk. In rich soil it grows 10 feet high ; flowers large. 



cya'neus, (b-p. Au. %.) leaves^ linear-lanceolate, clasping, smooth; stem 

 ' wand-like-panicled, very glabrous ; branches racemed ; scales of the calyx 

 lax, lanceolate, equalling the disk, inner ones coloured at the apex. 3-4 L 

 Flowers many and large. This is the handsomest of the asters. 

 B. Leavesmore or less cordate and ovate, serrate, or toothed. 



diversifo'lius, (E. y. p. S. %.) leaves nearly entire, undulate, pubescent, suN 

 scabrous ; lower ones cordate, ovale, with winged petioles ; upper one* 

 lance-oblong; panicle loose, the branches slender, racemose. 3 f. 



panicula'tus, (b-p. Au. to Nov. %.) leaves ovate-lanceolate, sub-serrate, peti- 

 oled, glabrous; radical ones ovate, heart-fonn, serrate, rough, petioleds 

 28 



