SOLIDAGO. 



I capillary. Thofe of the radius mueh the fame. Recept. 

 flattifh, dotted, naked. 



EfT. Ch. Receptacle dotted, naked. Down fimple. 

 Calyx imbricated, with converging fcales. Florets of the 

 radius about five. 



The fpecies of this genus, almolt entirely American, vie 

 with thofe of ^Jler in difficulty of determination. They 

 are all perennial, moftly herbaceous, with fimple undivided 

 leaves, and panicled or fpiked, aimed always yellow, fmall 

 flowers, and are known by the name of Golden Rods. 

 Several are cultivated for ornament, more for curiofity. 

 The Hortus Ketvenfis, enriched from Dr. Solander's manu- 

 fcripts, has thrown great light on the prefent genus, as well 

 as on jljter. Linnaeus in Syih Veg. ed. 14, has only four- 

 teen fpecies of SoMago ; Willdenow, profiting by Mr. 

 Aiton's work, enumerates forty. Mr. Pur(h reckons up 

 fifty-one North American fpecies alone. One only, fubjedl 

 to many varieties, is found in Britain. 



So great a number of fpecies now require to be added to 

 Willdenow's catalogue, that it is neceflary to take a compen- 

 dious view of the whole, efpecially as we are furnilhed 

 with more authentic fpecimens than mod writers have had 

 at their command. 



SeiSlion I. Arborefcent. 



1. S. fpur'ia. Ballard Tree Goldcn-rod. « Forft. 

 Comm. Gott. V. 9. 68." Willd. n. i. (Conyzarugofa ; 

 Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 5. 30.) — Stem arboreous. Panicle 

 corymbofe. Leaves oblong, wedge-fhaped, ferrated. — Na- 

 tive of St. Helena. Brought by fir Jofeph Banks, in 

 1772, to Kew garden, where it flowers in the greenhoufe 

 in November. A fpreading irregular fmall tree, with thick 

 rugged branches, leafy at the ends. Leaves ftalked, rugofe, 

 bright green, from a fpan to a foot long. Panicles large, 

 level-topped. Flowers white, half an inch in diameter, 

 with ten florets in the radius. Forjler. 



2. S. Leucadendron. White Tree Golden-rod. " Forll. 

 ibid. 69." Willd. n. 2. — " Stem arborefcent. Cymes 

 level-topped. Leaves oblong-obovate, crenate, nearly 

 feflile."^Native of woods in St. Helena. A tree, two or 

 three fathoms in height. Branches dark brown, tuber- 

 culated, rather level-topped ; leafy at the fummit. Leaves 

 fmooth, fpreading, three inches long, tapering at the 

 bafe. — Floiuer-Jlalks cymofe, fmooth and flender. Flowers 

 in every part like the precednig. Forjler. 



3. S. arhorejcens. New Zeeland Tree Goldcn-rod. 

 Forlt. Prodr. 56. Willd. n. 3. — " Stem arboreous. Pa- 

 nicles corymbofe, clofe, terminal. Leaves roundifh-ovate, 

 acute, wavy, italked." — Native of New Zeeland. Young 

 branches downy. Leaves bluntly and dillantly toothed ; 

 downy beneath. Willd. 



Seftion 2. Herbaceous. Flowers unilateral. Lecrves with 

 three combined ribs. 



4. S. canadenjis. Canadian Golden-rod. Linn. Sp. PI. 

 1233. Willd. n. 4. Ait. n. I. Purfli n. i. (Virga 

 aurea angullifolia, panicula fpeciof.i, canadenfis ; Pluk. 

 Almag. 389. t. 236. f. I.) — Stem downy. Le.ives lan- 

 ceolate, ferrated, triple-ribbed, rough. Chillers copious, 

 panicled, unilateral, recurved. Radius hardly exceeding 

 the diflv. — In hedges, old fields, and along fences, from 

 Canada to Pennfylvania, flowering from .July to Septem- 

 ber. From eighteen niches to five feet high. Purjl}. 

 Thc^em is angular, terminated by an ample downy panicle, 

 of innumerable very fmall yellow flowers. Leaves feflile, 

 three inches long, fometimes nearly entn-e, and occafionally 

 downy. Purfli and, of courfc, Willdenow, copy tlie erro- 

 neous reference to Plukenet ; a pradlice which overturns 

 all confidence in the fynonyms of authors who ufe it, as 

 they cannot have judged of the defcription or figure cited. 



5. S. proc(ra. Great Golden-rod. Ait. n. 2. Willd. 

 n. 5. Purfh n. 2. — " Stem villous, ereft. Leaves lan- 

 ceolate, ferrated, triple-ribbed, rough ; villous beneath, 

 Clulters fpiked, ereft, drooping before flowering. Raduis 

 fliort." — In fwamps, hedges, and about fences, from Ca- 

 nada to Virginia, flowering from July to September. From 

 four to feven feet high. Ptir/h. 



6. S. ferotina. Upright Smooth Golden-rod. Ait. 

 n. 3. Willd. n. 6. Purfti n. 3. — Stem ereft, round, very 

 fmooth. Leaves linear-lanceolate, fmooth, triple-ribbed, 

 ferrated, rough-edged. Clullers panicled, unilateral. Stalks 

 downy. — In woods and hedges, from New England to 

 Pennfylvania, flowering in September and Oftober. Young 

 leaves edged with copious httle white rigid hairs. 



7. S. gigantea. Gigantic Golden-rod. Ait. n. 4. Willd. 

 n. 7. Purfli n. 4 Stem ereft, fmooth. Leaves lanceo- 

 late, fmooth, ferrated, rough-edged, obfcurely triple-ribbed. 

 Clufters paniculated, unilateral. Stalks hairy. Radius 



fliort In open low places, on the fides of fertile hills, from 



New England to Virginia, flowering from Anguft to Oc- 

 tober. From four to feven feet high. Purjli. 



?i. S. ciliaris. Fringed Golden-rod. Willd. n. 8. Purfh 

 n. 5. — Stem ereft, fmooth. Leaves lanceolate, fomewhat 

 triple-ribbed, fmooth, rough-edged, (lightly ferrated. Cluf- 

 ters panicled, unilateral. Stalks fmooth. Brafteas fringed. 

 Radius fliort. — Sent from Pennfylvania, by the late Rev. 

 Dr. Muhlenberg. The flem is angular. Radical /eaves 

 ftalked, elliptical, pointed, veiny, ferrated, rough, near a 

 foot long. Branches of the panicle fpreading. BraScat 

 minute. Willd. 



9. S. reflexa- Hanging-leaved Golden-rod. Ait. n. 5. 

 Willd. n.9. Purfli n. 6. — Stem ereft, villous. Leaves 

 lanceolate, fomewhat ferrated, triple-ribbed, rough, re- 

 flexed. Clufters panicled, lliglitly unilateral. — In pine 

 woods and old fields, from New Jerfey to Carolina, flower- 

 ing in Anguft and September. 



10. S. laleriflora. Lateral-flowered Golden-rod. Ait. 

 n. 6. Willd. n. 10. Purfli n. 7. ..inn. Sp. PI. 1234? 



Stem ereft, rather hairy. Leaves lanceolate, obfcurely 



triple-ribbed, fmooth, rough-edged ; the lower ones flightly 

 ferrated. Clufters panicled, unilateral, fomewhat recurved. 



In old fields and dry woods, from Canada to Carolina, 



flowering from Auguft to Oftober. TIie7?cm is from two 

 to three feet high, ftriated, often purplifli, furniflicd with 

 numerous lateral flowering branches, as well as a principal 

 terminal one. Leaves very fmooth in the difl<. Radius 

 much longer than the calyx. This is probably the Linnaean 

 plant, but fome obfcurity attends that queftion. 



Seftion 3. Clujlers unilateral. Leaves veiny. 



11. S. afpera. Rough-leaved Golden-rod. Ait. n. 7. 

 Willd. n. II. Purfti n. 8. (Virga anrca americana af- 

 pera, fohis brevibus ferratis ; Dill. Ehh. 411. 1.305.)— 

 Stem ereft, round, hairy. Leaves ovate, rather elliptical, 

 very rough, rugged, ferrated, without lateral ribs. Clufters 

 panicled," unilateral. — In barren dry fields and woods, from 

 New York to Carolina, flowering from September to No- 

 vember. Purjlj. About a yard high. Leaves from one 

 to two inches long, acute- Clufters denfe, in fome degree 

 conical. Flowers fmall, yellow, the radius twice as long as 

 the calvx. ' 



\2. '^. alti//!ma. Tall Variable Golden-rod. Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 1233. ■(Villd. n. 12. Ait. n. 8. Purfli n. 9. (Virga 

 .nurea altiflima ferotina, pnnic\ila fpeciofa patula ; Mart. 

 Cent. 14. t. 14; and probably V. aurea marilandica, fpicis 

 flonmi raeemofi-;, foliis intogris fcabris ; ibid. 13. t. 13.) — 

 Stem ereft, hairy. Leaves lanceolate; the lower ones 

 deeply ferrated, very rough, rugofe. Panicles unilateral. — 

 R r 2 I" 



