ASTER GREMIALIS 355 
Upper caulines and axiles highly characteristic, oblong- -lanceo- 
late, long-acuminate, slowly tapered into a very conspicuous broad- 
wing base; the margins low-serrulate or subentire; 6 x 2 in. or 
less. Axiles similar, gradually reduced, all constricted Or tapered 
suddenly at the sessile, base, the upper ones still 2 x 24 in. and 
lance-acuminate. 
eaves very thin, very firm, deep green, oe and glabrous 
in life, commonly g granular- roughened when 
Veins narrow and inconspicuous, distant, ioe outcurved and 
soon upcurved, or after the lower leaves, directed upwards from 
the 
Hair is found by lens on chief veins beneath, stad scanty ; 
slight glandular puberulence occurs in the lower brac 
nflorescence broadly convex at first, soon iam m the 
lateral heads considerably later in growth and finally overtopping 
the central ones. Heads sometimes over 77 in. high, 1 4 in. broad, 
on pedicels often 1 in. lon 
Bracts narrow, chiefly smooth and pale, the middle and inner 
ones scarious, the outer green and triangular-acutish, the middle 
oblong-acutish, the inner more taper and with only a narrow median 
line of green. 
Rays long and narrow, almost acuminate, deep blue-violet, 
sometimes reaching the nearest to a full deep blue perhaps of any 
northeastern aster, fading whitish, sometimes becoming a peculiarly 
lustrous white. Disks early a deep red. 
Glandular hairs often (or always ?) very few, often undiscover- 
able on the smooth bracts and pedicels when dry, though some 
viscidity is present in life. 
Remarkable for the contrast between its lower sharp-serrate 
short broad leaves, and its upper subentire elongate taper-based 
leaves. A. nobilis, which resembles it, tends to reverse this con- 
trast, having longer little-serrate lower leaves and shorter sharp- 
serrate clasping or truncate upper ones. 
Habitat, under shade among thickets or in damp levels ; spring- 
ing from decaying logs and stumps ; W. N. Y 
W. N. Y., Silver Cr., Talcott’s woods, Au. 19, '96, Au. $t 197, Xu. ZX, "97; 
a few continuing, Ai. , 98-1904; Dunkirk, Pt. Gratiot, Au. II, '97. 
67? Biculminate form; an arrest-form dee the size of leaf 
after sudden reduction at or below the middle-stem, reaches 
gradually a second (though much smaller) culmination, just below 
the inflorescence. See Fig. - 
67° Fedian form; upper leaves and axiles short, entire, 
oblong-oval, contracted at base, resembling leaves of Fedia or 
