SOMMERS — NOVA SCOTIA COMPCSIT2E, — ASTEES. 243 



taper pointed; acuminate gibbous, smooth, with margins scabrous, 

 gradually tapering to a short petiole, entire, imperfectly three- 

 veined, somewhat coriaceous, dark green above, and paler below. 

 A fine, robust plant, very abundant in hilly pastures, forming 

 communities, the only native species observed, with pure, white 

 rays, never varying, except in robustness ; the largest of our asters, 

 so far as stem and foliage are concerned ; often attaining a height 

 of four or five feet. Although very distinct in form and appear- 

 ance from the others of this genus, I am unable to affix its specific 

 name, inasmuch as it does not correspond to any species described 

 either in Gray's or Wood's Manuals. It might pass for A. solida- 

 ginoides, W, in Eaton's Manual, except for its leaves, which are 

 rather broad, lanceolate, not linear as in the description of eolida- 

 ginoides, which has only five ray florets ; in height and robustness 

 also, it does not approach to our plant. Aster S., of Eaton's 

 Manual is, I suppose, identical with, seriocarpus solidaginoides, 

 of Gray's book. I would feel no difficulty in naming it Diplopappus 

 ■.mbellatus, Torr & Gr., to the description of which it corresponds 

 a the characters of its height, foliage, form of inflorescence, 

 cales, and rays, but the pappus of our plant is simple, a character 

 vhich, it seems to me. would preclude our placing it in a genus, 

 .he name of which denotes the presence of a double pappus in its 

 species. 



AsTERMISER. L. Ait. 



Stem hairy, terete channelled, reddish purple, from 1° to 3°, 

 branching from below upwards, the branches green, hairy, heads 

 pedunculate racemose secund, sometimes sessile, racemes leafy, 

 stem leaves lance-linear acuminate, dentserrate, feather veined, 

 margins scabrous, 1£' to 2' leaves of branches, mostly entire, very 

 small ovate lanceolate involucrum, two rowed ; scales erect, lanceo- 

 late acute, having scarious margins green centres and tips as long as 

 the disk; rays scarcely longer than disk, varying in colour from 

 white to light violet ; heads numerous, occupying the whole length 

 of the branches, a very variable species. " And may include dis- 

 tinct forms." Sometimes simply racemose, or paniculate, or com- 



