COMPOSITE. (composite FAMILY.) 201 



simple, of equal capillary bristles. — Perennial herbs, with mostly wand-like 

 stems and nearly sessile stem-leaves, never heart-shaped. Heads small, raeemed 

 or clustered : flowers both of the disk and ray (except No. 2) yellow. (Name 

 from soUdo, to join, or make whole, in allusion to its reputed vulnerary quali- 

 ties.) Flowering Aug. - Oct. 



§ I. CHEYSASTRTM, Torr. & Gr. — Scales of the much imbricated rigid in- 

 volucre with abruptly spreading herbaceous tips ; heads in dusters or glomerate ror 

 cemes disposed in a dense somewhat leafy and interrupted wand-like compound spike. 



1. S. sqiiarrosa, Muhl. Stem stout (2° -5° high), hairy above; leaves 

 large, oblong, or the lower spatulate-oval and tapering into a margined petiole, 

 serrate, veiny; disk-flowers 16-24, the rays 12-16. — Rocky wooded hills, 

 Maine and W. Vermont to Penn., and the mountains of Virginia. 



§ 2. VIKGAUEEA, Toum. Scales of the involucre destitute of herbaceous tips : 

 rays mostly fewer than the disk-fowers : heads all more or less pedicelled. 



* Heads in dose clusters or short dustered racemes in the axils of the feather-veined 



leaves, {Rays 3-6.) 



2. S. Iticolory L. Hoary or grayish vnth soft hairs ; stem mostly simple ; 

 leaves oblong or elliptical-lanceolate, acute at both ends, or the lower oval and 

 tapering into a petiole, slightly serrate ; clusters or short racemes from the axils of 

 the upper leaves, fonning an interrupted spike or crowded panicle ; rays small, 

 cream-color or nearly white. — Var. c6ncolor has the rays yeMow. — Dry copses 

 and banks, common : the var. in Pennsylvania and westward. 



3. S. latifolia, L. Smooth or nearly so, stem angled, zigzag, simple or 

 paniculate-branched (l°-3° high) ; leaves broadly ovate or oval, very strongly and 

 sharply serrate, conspicuously pointed at both ends (thin, 3' -6' long); heads in 

 very short axillaiy sessile clustei-s, or somewhat prolonged at the end of the 

 branches. — Moist shaded banks, in rich soil ; common northward, and along 

 the mountains. 



4. S. C^Sia. L. Smooth; stem terete, mostly glaucous, at length much 

 branched and difi^use; leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, sen-ate, pointed, 

 sessile ; heads in very short axillary clusters, or somewhat raccmose-panicled 

 on the branches. — Moist rich woodlands ; common. Heads rather smaller than 

 in thg last. 



* * Racemes terminal, ered, either somewhat simple and viand-like, or compound and 



panidcd, not one-sided : leaves foatlier-vdned. (Nat maritime.) 

 ■t- Heads small ; leaves newly entire, except tlie lowermost. 



5. S. virg^ata; Michx. Very smooth throughout; stem strict and simple, 

 wand-like (2° -4° high), slender, beset with small and entire appressed lanceo- 

 late-oblong leaves, which are gradually reduced upwards to mere bi'acts ; the 

 lowest oblong-spatulate, all thickish and smooth ; heads crowded in a very narrow 

 compound spicate receme; rays 5-7. — Damp pine barrens. New Jersey to Vir- 

 ginia and southward. 



6. S. pilberula, Nutt. Stem (l°-3° high, simple or branched) and 

 pajiide very minutely hoary ; st&nAeaves lanceolate, acute, tapering to the base, 

 smoothish; the lower wedge-lanceolate and sparingly toothed; heads very nu- 



