118 



ful and conservative determinations and copious notes gives to 

 the collection its special value, hence the Department of Botany 

 of the Milwaukee Museum is keeping it together. Workers may 

 thus note how a species will, in cases, gradually approach ex- 

 treme characters that quite blend into an extreme of a related 

 species. 



Mr. Monroe's collection of the Biotian asters is thoroughly 

 representative, and the macrophyllus group is arranged in a 

 series from delicate, thin-leaved, narrow-bracted specimens to 

 those of heavy, vigorous form with large bracts, spreading in 

 some cases, and long rays. Since Prof. Edw. S. Burgess' exhaus- 

 tive studies in this group were available to Mr. Monroe, no 

 further findings will here be attempted except as regards the 

 species A . furcatus, 



His assemblage of A. furcatus and A. leptocaulis appear to 

 merge into each other. Many of them are without any sign of 

 leaf laciniations, as his nos. 107 and 109 with "small heads" 

 (12 mm. wide, well pressed) and nos. 106 and 108 with much 

 wider heads (15-18 mm.), all of the same height, however, 10 

 mm., and about the same in number, though the lower cauline 

 leaves on the latter plants have conspicuously longer petioles. 

 They are all from Tweedy's Woods, Milwaukee County,^ Aug. 

 28, 1910. These four numbers are revised to A. furcatus Bur- 

 gess, /. elaciniatus Benke.^ Mr. Monroe wished to ascertain the 

 northern limit of this species, it not being well defined at the time, 

 and by exchange material from me the forma was found as far 

 north as Sheboygan County, Sept. 5, 1913, Benke mus. no. 

 28650.^ Other specimens are from further north, but these have 

 the typical leaf-base laciniations,^ hence not the forma: Aster 

 furcatus, Manitowoc, Aug. 31, 1913, Benke mus. nos. 28766 

 and 28770; also, Sept. 9, 1914, Benke mus. no 30123. Mr. Mon- 

 roe reported having seen a specimen in the Field Museum Her- 

 barium from yet further north. I have found it to be WISCON- 



^ When no state is given in this paper, Wisconsin is understood, and when 

 no collectors name, Chas. E. Monroe. 



■' Benke, Am. Mid. Naturalist. XIII:,326 (1932). 



^ Numbers of the specimens are listed as those of Mr. Monroe; if unnum- 

 bered by him, those of the museum are given. 



« Burgess, Mem. Torn Bot. Club, XIII: 246 (1923) "... with broad 

 laciniate-leaf bases." 



