186 COMPOSITE. Aster. 



ii. 128. A. sparsiflorus, Michx. Fl. ii. 112; Willd. Eniim. 880 (with unusually large lower 

 leaves) ; Nutt. Gen. ii. 155. A.fragilis, Lindl. Bot. Reg. t. 1537, & herb. — Border of inoi.st 

 or dry woods, New England and W. Canada to Florida and Texas. Buns into various 

 forms, such as 



Var. ooridif olius, Torr. & Gray, 1. c. A more rigid and effuse Southern form, 



with rather coriaceous leaves, especially the very small ones of the elongated branches and 

 branchlets; involucral bracts also more rigid. — A. coridifolius, Michx. Fl. ii. 112; WiUd.- 

 Spec. iii. 2028; Nees, Ast. 104; Lindl. Bot. Reg. t. 1487. A. foliolosus, Ell. Sk. ii. 345, not 

 Ait. A. foliolosus, var. coridifolius, Nutt. Gen. ii. 155. A. multiflorus, Bertol. Misc. v. t. 5, 

 fig. 3. — Pine barrens, S. C'arolina to Florida and Louisiana. 



Var. subulsefolius, Torr. & Gray, 1. c. Rather rigid form, with ascending flower- 

 ing branches, on which the somewhat large heads are often subracemosely paniculate and 

 bearing erect or little spreading subulate-linear or linear-oblong very small leaves. — Open 

 woods and pine barrens, Carolina to Texas ; also N. W. Arkansas. The var. subracemosus, 

 Torr. & GTay, 1. c, was made up of specimens, some fairly referable to the present form, 

 others to A. vimincus, var. foliolosus, or of intermediate forms. 



++ ++ Heads racemosely unilateral, usually numerous or crowded along the flowering branches ; 

 tlie branchlets or minutely leafy peduncles shorter or little longer than the involucre: disk- 

 flowers apt to turn purple. 



A ■ racemosus, Ell. Minutely scabrous-pubescent along the numerous slender erect or 

 ascending branches, probably rather tall (base of stem unknown) : leaves rigid, linear, 

 small, acute, entire : heads small (little over 2 lines high), somewhat spicately or more 

 loosely racemose : involucre hemispherical and of narrower and acuter bracts than in the fol- 

 lowing: rays only a line or two long, purplish. — Sk. ii. 348; Torr. & Gray, Fl. ii. 127. — 

 S. Carolina to Florida and Louisiana, in the low couutry or along the coast. Perhaps also 

 Texas, but specimens (of Lindheimer) insufficient. Species insuificiently understood. 

 A. vimineus, La.-u. Nearly glabrous : stem 2 to 5 feet high, slender, simple, with nu- 

 merous usually horizontal foliolose flowering branches, bearing numerous usually crowded 

 heads : leaves linear or narrowly lanceolate, entire, or the lower with few serratures (the longer 

 cauline 3 to 4 or 5 inches long, 2 to 4 lines wide) : heads 2 or 3 lines high : bracts of involucre 

 linear, usually acutish : rays commonly pure white (not rarely changing to purplish, even 

 on a part of the plant), about 2 lines long. — Diet. i. 306 (1783, form with somewhat lanceo- 

 late cauline leaves) ; Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. xvii. 169. A. Tradescanti, L., as to one speci- 

 men in herb. Cliff., of very doubtful authority, also of hort. Par. in early days, of Xees, DC, 

 Torr. & Gray, Fl. ii. 129, with vax. fragilis ; not of herb. L. (hort. Tips.), nor A. Tradescanti, 

 Morison. A. secundiflorus, Desf. Hort. Par. 1815', & A. diffasus, DC. Prodr. v. 242, partly. 

 A. multiflorus, Nutt. Gen. ii. 155, exel. syn. A. tenuifolius, EU. Sk. ii. ,347, not L. A. fra- 

 gilis, Nees, Ast. 101, in part, not Willd. — Moist ground, Canada to Florida and west to 

 Arkansas, most common northwanl ; flowejing rather early. 



— Var. foliolosus. Leaves linear, entire : branches ascending, bearing sparse or more 

 paniculate heads: consists of forms intermediate between A. rimiucus and A. dvmosus, but 

 with smaller heads than is usual in the latter, and thinner as well as narrower involucral 

 bracts. — .1. foliolosus. Ait. Kew. iii. 202. A. ericoides, Meliloti ayrarim umbone, Dill. Elth. 

 39, t. 35, a coarsely exagger;ited figure : from wliich figure solely the char. & descr. of A. miser, 

 L. Spec. ii. 877, were made, neither these nor tlie figure answering at all well to the dried 

 specimen in herb. Sherard ; which is said to have been raised from New England seeds. A. 

 diiiiiosus, var. subracemosus, Torr. & Gray, Fl. ii. 128. —New England to Illinois. 



^A. difFuSUS, AiT. Either pubescent or almost glabrous, a foot to 4 or 5 feet high ; the 

 larger plants widely and divergently branched : leaves thinnish, mostlv broadly lanceolnte 

 or wider, with much narrowed base, acute or acuminate; lower cauline geuerallv 3 to 5 

 inches long, sparingly and acutely serrate ; those of tlie flowering brauches'bccoming smaU 

 and entire, some of tliem suv|jassiiis- the crowded (ir sometinu-s u'lore scattered heads, which 

 are usually disposed along the length of the flowering branches, either .-^innlv or in clusters; 

 radical leaves ovate and slender-ijetiolod : involucre campanulate ; its bracts linear, obtuse or 

 sometimes acutish, and with a definite s]i..rt green tip: rays small, white, or sometimes 

 tmged with purplish or violet. — Ait. Kew. iii. 205; Nees, Ast. I. o„ &c. .1. divcrgciis. Ait. 

 1. c. ; Nees, 1. c. A. pendiihis. Ait. 1. c, 204 (a form with narrowish ami less serrate lea\ es, 

 verging to or connecting with the preceding species) ; Nees, iVst. 100. .1. Tradescanti, 



