Aster. COMPOSITE. 193 



high: Catiline leaves (either thinnish or rather firm) lanceolate (2 to G inches long, 3 to 8 

 lines broad in the middle), tapering to both ends, inserted by a narrow base, common]}- ser- 

 rate along the middle by acute and appressed or erect teeth: bracts of the inrolucre linear 

 and acute, loosely imbricated and the small green tips commonly spreading ; outer foliaceous 

 ones few and not dilated, often wanting : rays 5 or 6 lines long. — DC. Prodr. v. 239 fnot of 

 herb. DC), & Hook. PI. ii. H ; Torr. & Gray, Fl. ii. 1.38. A. subspicatus, Xees, A>t. 74, 

 from Cape Mulgrave, Alaska, i.s doubtle.ss a form of this or of the next, and the name might 

 apply to .some specimens of either with contracted inflorescence. — Hoist ground, commonly 

 in shade. Northern Brit. Columbia to Oregon and N. Caluoruia. 

 "A. foliaceus, Lixdl. smooth and glabrous, or upper part of stem tomentulose or pubes- 

 cent : leaves from broadlj- lanceolate to oblong and the lower spatulate, entire or nearly so ; 

 upper cauline very commonly with partly clasping and sometimes even snbcordate-auriculate 

 base : heads half-inch high, when few or solitary fully as broad, when more numerons less 

 ample : involucre mostly with conspicuous loose foliaceous lanceolate or broadly linear outer 

 bracts, which equal the inner, or sometimes more imbricated and sqnarrose : rays violet or 

 purple, in the larger heads nearly half-inch long. — DC. Prodr. v. 2iS. ilere made to in- 

 clude very various forms. The originals, from Lnalaska and Sitka, are rather low, simple, or 

 simple-stemmed with short monocephalous branches, leafy about the heads : farther south it 

 becomes more branching, 2 or 3 feet high ; generally differing from the preceding species 

 in the ampler and broader as well as entire leaves, disposed to be half-clasping at tjase, and 

 the leafy-bracted or much greener involucre. A. Dumjlaau, Eaton, Bot. King Exp. 141, & 

 Gray, Bot. Calif, i. 324, mainly. — Y^'et ground, Alaska, iirit. Columbia, and along the moun- 

 tains to eastern part of California and Kevada. Eastward it passes into 



Var. frondeus. .stem simple or with sparing erect flowering branches, sparsely 

 leaved : leaves compara tively ample, 4 or j inches long; lower tapering into winged petioles, 

 upper often with clasping base : heads solitary or few, naked-pedunculate, broad : involucral 

 bracts linear-lanceolate, loose and not imbricated, all equaUing the disk, occasionally the 

 out^most broader and leaf-like. — -1. adscendens,Yai. Pan-^i', Eaton, Bot. King Exp. 139. — 

 Subalpine on the Cascade and Eocky ^Mountains, from the borders of Brit. Columbia to 

 those of Colorado and the AVahsatch in P'tah. 

 - Var. apricus. Like a dwarf state of the preceding variety, grown in exposed places, 



somewhat rigid, thicker-leaved : stems ascending from tufted rootstocks, a span or two high, 

 bearing solitarv or 2 to 3 broad heads : involucral bracts all_alike, somewhat spatulate-liuear, 

 obtuse or acutish : rays "deep blue-violet and reddish-purple intermixed." — High mountains 

 of Colorado, at Union Pass, Rothrock, and near Gray's Peak, at 11,000-12,000 feet, in open 

 and verv dry places, Patterson. On iiount Paddo, Washington Terr., Sul-^duri, Howell, 

 the latter in a taBer form, and looking toward .1. spathulatus. 



Var. Parryi. Includes some ambiguous forms, seemingly between the preceding 

 varietv and A. Fremonti, with stems a span to a foot high, with smooth and thickish rather 

 large "leaves, mostlv naked heads ; the involucre sometimes fohaceous-bracteate in the man- 

 ner of the present ^^jecies, sometmies jyhollv of the narrow and closer bracts of .1. 

 Fremonti. TTith that speiies this has been referred to A. adscendens. — Eocky ilountains of 

 Colorado, subalpine, Parnj (417), Hall & Barbour (253), Vasei/ (2.51J, &c., and S. AVyoming, 

 H. Engelmann. 



Var. Blirkei. A foot or two high, rather stout, simple or branched above, leafy to 

 the top: leaves thickish, very smooth, ample; upper cauline. mostly oblong, and with 

 hroa<^llv half-claspine usuallv auriculate insertion : heads sohtary or several, very broad : in- 

 volucre of oblouff or spatulate and obtuse loosely imbricated bracts, the outer commonly 

 shorter or outermost sometimes more foliaceous and equallmg the disk. — Eocky Mountains, 

 Burke in herb. Hook. Siincoe Hills, TTashington Terr., Hoicell. Wahsatch ilountams at 

 Alta, Ptah, M. E. .hinr-s. MogoUon Ilountains, Xew Mexico, and Arizona, R/'siy. 



Var. Canbyi. Like the preceding form in foliage, apparently tall_and stout (base of 

 stem and lower leaves wanting), leafy throughout the thyrsoid panicle of numerous sub- 

 sessile heads: these comparatively small : upper leaves (only ones seen) rather broadly 

 oblong and with broad half-clasping base obscurely auriculate : bracts of the involucre im- 

 bricated, with small and erect lanceolate green tips, only in^some heads a few of the outer- 

 most loose and foliaceous, but seldom equalling the disk. — On White Eiver in TTestern 

 Colorado, Yasey, 1868, distributed under the name of A. Canbyi, Vasey ; perhaps a distmct 

 species. 



