BLUE AND PURPLE WILD FLOWERS 
during August, September and October. The rather 
stout stem rises from two to four feet in height, and 
is either branched or simple. The thick-textured, 
long-oval, light green leaves are sometimes toothed. 
The upper ones are usually heart-shaped and clasp 
the stalk, while the lower ones taper into winged stems. 
The rays of the flower head number from fifteen to 
thirty, and are of a beautiful shade of blue or violet, 
rarely white. They are set around a yellow centre of 
disc florets. The heads are an inch broad, and they 
are closely set in a lovely terminal cluster. The 
Smooth Aster ranges from Maine and Ontario to 
Missouri, Pennsylvania and Louisiana. 
NEW YORK ASTER 
Aster ndvi-bélgii. Thistle Family. 
One of the very commonest of the late-flowering 
Asters of the Atlantic States, and also an extremely 
variable species. The slender stalk is usually much 
branched, generally smooth, and grows from one to 
three feet high. The long, smooth thin-textured, 
narrow leaves taper gradually to a slender point, with 
entire or slightly toothed margins.. The upper ones 
partly clasp the stalk, and are somewhat heart-shaped. 
The lowest ones have stems. The numerous flower 
heads are an inch or so broad, and are loosely grouped 
in a somewhat flat-topped arrangement. From fif- 
teen to twenty-five light blue or violet, or rarely white, 
rays surround the yellow centre. The New York 
Aster is found in swamps, chiefly near the coast, from 
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