AST 



f. 2. " Leaves ovate, toothed ; ftem procumbent ; peduncles 

 naked, axillary, one flowered." Stems round, inclining to 

 the ground, aljout four or five inches long, deftitute of 

 leaves, each fupportinpj one flower of the fliape and fize of 

 the common daify, of a whitiih purple colour. Difeovered 

 ' by Dr. Hoiiftown, about Vera Cruz in America. Perhaps 

 fomc of thcfe may not be dillindt from the foregoing ones, 

 as there are certainly many fpecies recited by authors wl-.ich 

 have not yet taken their proper place in the fyllcm, and re- 

 quire a very fagacious botanift to arrange them. In Gor- 

 don's Catalogue we find the following names not noticed by 

 ^I^innoeus : I. A. alienatus, virgatus, falicifolius, purpurcus, 

 anleatus, repens, corvmbofns. 49. A hulofericus, Forih 

 '.' Herbaceous, leaves oblong-lanceolate, ferrate, underneath 

 filver-filky ; fcapes one-flowered, leafy." A native of 

 New Zealand. 50. A. corlaceu^. Ford. " Herbaceous, 

 leaves ovate, quite entire, furrowed above, woolly under- 

 neath, fcapes one-flowered, leafy, woolly." A native of 

 New Zealand. 



Species of AJler, frnm Ahon^s Hcrt. Kcw. 

 5 1 . A. cymbalarls, cymbalaria-leaved llarwort. " Shnib- 

 by, leaves ovate, finuate, rough, with hairs, calyxes imbricate, 

 hairy." Found at the Cape, by Maflbn. Introduced here 

 in 17S6. It flowers mod of the fummer. 52. A. mmora- 

 lis, wood ftarwort. " Leaves linear-lanceolate, drawn to a 

 point at the bafe, fomewhat fcabrous ; branches filiform, 

 one-flowered ; calyxes lax imbricate, leaflets acute." A foot 

 hi"h, ray of the corolla blue, diflv white. It flo ers in Au- 

 Fufl. A native of Nova Scotia. Introduced in 177S, by 

 W.Malcolm. 53. A. /a/Hc/q/J/j, marfli llarwort. "Leaves 

 linear, ftem clafping, entire, fmooth, fcabrous at the edge ; 

 peduncles almofl; naked, calyxes fquarrofe." Leaves three or 

 four inches lotig, remote, ray blue, large, dilk yellow. A 

 native of the fwamps of Carolina. Introduced by Mr. Fair- 

 bairne, in 1784. It puts out flowers in September and Oc- 

 tober. 54. A. patens, fpreading, hairy-lialked, ftarwort. 

 " Leaves oblong, entire, acute, cordate, almoft ftem-clafping, 

 fcabroui, branches fpreading, elongated, few-flowtred, ca- 

 lyxes imbricate, fubfquarrofe, ftem rough with hairs." Three 

 feet high ; branches remote, pubefcent ; leaves bent ob- 

 liquely at the bafe ; ray pale blue, diflc tawny. A nati%'e 

 of Virginia, flowering in September. Introduced about 

 1773, by G. Aufrere, efq. 55. A. fo/iofus, leafy ftarwort. 

 " Leaves lanceolate-hncar, entire, fmooth ; thofe on the 

 branchlets fpreading very much ; calyxes imbricate, leaflets 

 acute, ftem pubefcent." A native of N. America. Culti- 

 vated by Dr. Sherard in 1732. It flowers in October. 56. 

 A. multiflorus, fmall-lcaved ftarwort. " Leaves linear, en- 

 tire, fmoothifh ; branches one-ranked ; calyxes imbricate, 

 fquarrofe, fcales fomewhat leafy, acute; ftem pubefcent." 

 Stems unequal to fupport the abundance of its flowers ; 

 leaves rough, the veins form rhomboids ; fcales of the ca- 

 lyx minute, reflex; flowering branches and peduncles cover- 

 ed with leafy fcales ; ray white, fmall. A native of North 

 America. Cultivated by Dr.Sherard in 1732. F. October. 

 There is an early and a late flowering variety of this fpecies. 

 57. A falicifolius, willow-leaved ftarwort. " Leaves linear- 

 lanceolate, quite entire, fmooth ; calyx imbricate, lax ; ftem 

 gloflfy. Stem five or fix feet high, leaflets of the calyx acute, 

 expanfling at the end ; ray of a blucifli flefh-colour. A 

 native of N. America. Cultivated in 1760, by Miller. 58. A. 

 fflivus, Labrador ftarwort. " I^eaves lanceolate, almoft ftem- 

 clafping, quite entire, fmooth, fcabrous about the edge ; ca- 

 lyxes lax, leaflets equal." Stem two feet high, hifpid; ray 

 blue. A native of N. America. Introduced here ia 1776, 

 by Meft. Gordon and Co. F. in July and Auguft. 59. A. 

 jtmceus,. flender-ftalked ftarwort. " Leaves lanceolate- 



AST 



linear, fcfTile, fmooth, the loweft fubferratc, thole of 

 the branchlets lanceolate ; branches virgate ; calyxes 

 imbricate ; ftem fmoothifli." Four feet high, leaflets 

 of the calyx acute, fpreading at the end ; ray (lightly 

 fl efli -colon red ; diflt elevated, pale yellow. A native of N. 

 America. Cultivated in 175S, by Miller. F. in Oftober. 

 60. K. pciululus, pendulous ilarwort. " Leaves elliptic-lan- 

 ceolate, ferrate,' fmooth, thofe of the branchlets rather re- 

 mote ; branches very much divaricated, pendulous ; ftem 

 pubefcent." Ray of the flower white; dif1< yellow, changing 

 to ferruginous. A native of North America. Cultivated 

 in 1758 by Miller. F. Odober. 61. A. d'lffufis, difl^ufe 

 ftarwort. " Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, ferrate, fmooth, 

 proportioned ; branches fpreading ; calyxes imbricate ; ftem 

 pubefcent." Ray white. A native of North America. In- 

 troduced by Mcflrs. Kennedy and Lee in 1777. F. Sep- 

 tember. There is a red and white-flowered variety. 62. 

 A. divergeni, fpreading downy-ltalked ftarwort. " Leaves 

 eiliptic-lanceolale, ferrate, fmooth ; thofe on the ftem hnear- 

 lanceolatc, elongated ; branches fpreading ; calyxes imbri- 

 cate ; item pubelcent." Above five feet high, w-eak ; calyx 

 cylindr'c, with numerous acute leaflets ; ray white ; fiiortcr 

 than the calyx, diflc reddifli. A native of North America. 

 Cultivated in 1758 by Miller. F. Odober. 6^. A. corym- ' 

 iofiis, corymbed ftarwort. '• Leaves cordate, fmooth, acu- 

 minate, all finely ferrate ; petioles fimple ; branches faf- 

 tigiate ; ftem fmooth." A native of North America. Cul- 

 tivated in 1765, by P. Collinfon, efq. F. September. 64. A. 

 fpedahilis, fhowy ftarwort. " Leaves lanceolate, fome- 

 what fcabrous ; the lower ferrate ; branches corymbed ; 

 calycine leaflets lax, neaily wedge-ftiapcd, fliarpifli, fquar- 

 rofe." Two feet high ; ray blue. A native of North Ame- 

 rica. Introduced in 1777, by Dr. Pitcairn. F. Auguft and 

 September. 65. A. raclula, rough ftarwort. " Leaves lan- 

 ceolate, ferrate, acuminate, wrinkled, veiy fcabrous ; calyxes 

 imbricate ; leaflets lanceolate, obtufe." A native of Nova 

 Scotia. Introduced in 1785 by Dr. Pitcairn. F.September. 

 Propagation and Culture. The fpecies from the Cape 

 N° I — 5, and N° 51, together with N° 27. 37, and 38, 

 not producing feeds in England, are propagated by cuttings 

 any time during the fummer. Thefe ftiould be planted in 

 fmall pots filled with light earth, and plunged into an old 

 hot-bed; where, if they are fliaded from the fun, and gently 

 watered, they will put out roots in fix weeks, when tliey 

 may be placed in the open air; and in about a month after- 

 wards they fhould be leparated, each in a fmall pot, and 

 filled with light fandy earth. In OAober they muft be 

 removed into the green -houfe, and placed where they may 

 enjoy as much free air as poflTiblc; but be fecured from frofts 

 or damps; fo that they are much eafier preferved in a glaff- 

 cafe, where they will have more light and air than in a 

 green-houfe; but they muft not be placed in a ftove, for 

 artificial heat will foon deftroy the plants. The North 

 American fpecies, which make at leaft three-fifths of the 

 genus, together with the Alpine and Italian afters, are 4 

 eafily propagated by parting the roots in autumn ; they are ' 

 moft of them hardy, and will thrive in almoft any foil and 

 fituai-ion ; for thefe reafons, and becaufe they adorn the 

 latter feafon with the abundance and variety of their fpe- 

 cious flowers, they are valuable plants, efpecially among 

 fln-ubs, and in large ornamental plantations, properly mixed 

 with golden rods, and other perennial, autumnal, hardy 

 plants. The forts moft cultivated, are the grandiflorus, 

 iinifolius, linarifolius, tenuifolius, ericoides, dumofus, fero- 

 tiims, alpinus, nova; anglia, and puniceus or altifUmus. 

 Some of the fpecies (N'' 6. 41, 42,) prefer a fliady fitu- 

 ation and moift foil. They arc apt to fpread very much at 



the 



