SUNFLOWER FAMILY. 565 



tufted, erect or ascending, 1 ft. high; leaves spatulate-oblong or above 

 linear, entire or serrate towards the apex, 1 to IJ in. long; rays 

 violet-purple; pappus rusty-brown. 



Dry caftons of Contra Costa and Alameda Cos.: Niles, etc. June- 

 Aug. The species is greener and more obviously "glandular- 

 scabrous." The " reticulate-venulose " character assigned to the 

 species can be made out beneath the tomentum in some specimens 

 of the variety. 



3. C. Californica DC. Plant white-woolly, with solitary heads 

 on scape-like peduncles from prostrate or decumbent almost matted 

 stems; involucre and summit of peduncle yiscidulous-glandular; 

 leaves spatulate or obovate, narrowed to a distinct petiole, entire or 

 serrate towards the apex, 2 in. long or less; heads 4 or 5 lines high, 

 6 or 7 lines broad; rays deep purple; involucres and rays similar to 

 the last. — {G. caespitosa Greene.) 



Crystal Springs, San Mateo Co., the only locality known to us. 

 Apr. 15-June. 



Var. obovata (C. obovata Benth.). Stems decumbent, 1 to 2 ft. 

 long; herbage tomentose; leaves obovate-spatulate, toothed near the 

 apex; heads 6 to 7 lines high, sometimes nearly 1 in.- broad, inclined 

 to be solitary; involucres glandular; rays purple; pappus of ray of 

 1 or 2 to 6 bristles; pappus of disk-flowers about 35 bristles, the 

 longest 3J lines long. — Near the sea from Pt. Eeyes and Bodega 

 (Marin Co.) to Mendocino. July-Aug. 



88. ASTER L. Astek. 

 Late-sestival or autumnal herbs, with paniculate, corymbose, nr 

 racemose heads. Heads usually numerous. Involucres turbinate or 

 campanulate to hemispherical, the bracts imbricated in several ranks, 

 with green tips. Disk-flowers yellow, changing to purple or brown. 

 Eeceptacle flat, pitted. Pappus copious, of simple capillary bristles. 

 (Greek astere, a star, from the star-like heads of flowers.) 



Perennial; rays conspicuous. 



Inflorescence corymbose ; leaves (at least some) elliptic-obovate 



1. A. radulinus. 



Inflorescence paniculate or racemose; leaves linear to lanceolate. 



Inflorescence mostly condensed, the heads on very short branchlets; 



herbage cinerous (and the pubescence harsher than in the next) or 



almost glabrous; leaves purple-veined beneath . . .2. A. Menziesii. 



Inflorescence mostly loose, the heads or clusters oJ heads on long 



branchlets; herbage hirsute or villous-pubescent, or glabrous. 



3. A. Chilensis. 

 Annual or biennial; inflorescence paniculate; rays inconspicuous . 



4. A: 



1. A. radulinus Gray. Broad-leaved Aster. Five to 18 in., 

 seldom 2 ft. high, scabrous-pubescent; leaves oval-obovate to oblong, 4 

 in. long or less, sharply serrate above the entire (often attenuate) base; 

 heads mostly numerous (sometimes very few), corymbose, 5 to 6 lines 

 high; involucre turbinate; bracts imbricated, the outer shorter, 

 villous-puberulent; rays whitish, 8 to 5 lines long. 



Dry hills, rather common: Monterey, ace. to Gray; Saratoga; Oak- 



