67 

 AN ALLEGHANIAN RUDBECKIA 



By Johx K. Small 



While on excursions into various portions of the southern 

 Alleghanies and the Blue Ridge, I have quite frequently met 

 with a very characteristic Rudbeckia. It occurs more frequently 

 at altitudes between iooo and 1600 meters, although sometimes 

 it may be found at elevations a little lower or considerably higher 

 than those just indicated. As far as its biological distribution is 

 concerned, it is mainly confined to the Alleghanian life-zone and 

 thrives best in such localities as are inhabited by Solidago monti- 

 cola, Gaylussacia ursina and V accinium pallidum. So far as I 

 can learn, this species has never been described, but may now be 

 characterized as follows : 



Rudbeckia monticola 



Perennial by short horizontal or oblique rootstocks. Foliage 

 hirsute or hirsute-hispid : stems 3-1 1 dm. tall, sometimes tufted, 

 normally simple, occasionally branched above : leaves few ; 

 blades oblong, elliptical, oval or ovate, 5-10 cm. long, sharply 

 serrate, sometimes shallowly so, those of the basal and lower 

 stem-leaves with winged petioles or petiole-like bases, those of the 

 upper stem-leaves sessile and usually partly clasping by their 

 broad bases : bracts of the involucre linear to linear-lanceolate, 

 1-1.5 cm. long, bristly hirsute, reflexed : ray-flowers several; 

 ligules bright yellow, 2-3.5 cm. long : disk hemispheric to ovoid, 

 12-18 mm. broad, dark purple-brown to almost black at maturity : 

 bractlets acute, ciliate near the slightly broadened tips : disk- 

 corollas 3—3.5 mm. long : achenes 2.5 mm. long, slightly enlarged 

 upward, finely longitudinally ribbed and very minutely pitted. 



In woods, West Virginia to North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee 

 and Alabama. Summer. 



Rudbeckia monticola is related to R. hirta from which it may 

 easily be separated at sight by the sharply serrate blades of the 

 upper stem-leaves with their broad partly clasping bases. The 

 type is preserved in the herbarium of the New York Botanical 

 Garden. The following cited specimens belong here : 



West Virginia : "White Sulphur Springs, July 16, 1892, A. Brown. 



North Carolina: Haywood Co., July, 1885, 21. E. Hyams ; Swain Co., July 

 12, 1891, Beardslee &* Kofoid; Biltmore, June 10, 1896, Biltmore Herbarium no. 

 852; Hendersonville, June 29, 1898, Biltmore Herbarium no. 852a. 



Tenkessee: White "Cliff Springs, July II, 1894, T. H. Kearney, Jr.; Lookout 

 Mountain, June 28, 1897, H. Eggert ; Wolf Creek, August, 1896, A. Ruth, no. 4055. 



