COMPOSITAE 



COMPOSITE FAMILY 



GUM PLANT. TARWEED 



Grindelia squarrosa (Pursh) Dunal 



The Gum Plant or Tarweed grows on dry banks and prairies 

 from Illinois to Minnesota and Manitoba, south to Texas and 

 Mexico. It is only occasionally found east of Illinois, and even 

 in this state is quite rare and local. 



The involucre and upper portions 

 of the stem are exceptionally sticky, 

 giving the plant its common name. 

 The stem is considerably branched, 

 smooth except for the stickiness and 

 usually 1-2 feet high. Leaves are 

 alternate, oblong to spatulate, blunt 

 tipped and more or less clasping at 

 the base. They are rather rigid and 

 the sharp teeth are inclined to be 

 almost spiny. 



The Gum Plant blooms from June 

 to September. The large sticky heads 

 contain both ray and disk flowers, 

 which are yellow, the variety with 

 ray flowers lacking not having been 

 reported in Illinois. The disk flowers 

 are perfect and the rays, which vary 

 in length up to i inch, are pistillate. 

 The bracts of the hemispherical in- 

 volucre are linear-lanceolate, ar- 

 ranged in several series, and their 

 green awl-shaped tips are strongly 

 recurved, which is what the specific 

 name means. The receptacle is nearly 

 flat and not chaffy. Both kinds of 

 flowers produce the smooth, short 

 and thick akene fruits, which in the 

 outer flowers are usually thicker. The pappus is composed 

 of 2 or 3 awns. 



Their gardens, banked with roses and with lilies — 

 Those sweet aristocrats of all the flowers — 

 Where Springtime mints her gold in dafifodillies, 

 And Autumn coins her marigolds in showers, 

 And all the hours are toilless as the lilies. 



Old Homes — Madison Cawein 



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