208 



COMPOSITE. (COMPOSITE FAMILY.) 



3. B. asteroides, L'Hcr. Stem paniculate, the branches short; leaves 



lanceolate, entire ; aelienia smooth, narrow-margined ; pappus very short, with- 

 out awns. — Swamps, North Carolina. Stem 2° -3° high. Heads intermediate 

 in size between the. two preceding. 



20. SOLIDAGO, L. Golden-rod. 



Heads few or many-flowered. Rays 1 - 1G, rarely wanting, pistillate. Disk- 

 flowers tabular, perfect. Scales of the involucre imbricated, rarely with spread- 

 ing tips. Receptacle flat, mostly alveolate. Achenia terete, many-ribbed. 

 Pappus simple, of numerous scahrous mostly capillary bristles. — Perennial 

 (rarely shrubby) erect plants, with alternate leaves, and small heads of yellow 

 (lowers. 



$ 1. Chrysastrum. — Scales of the involucre with herbaceous spreading tips : 

 bristles of the pappus unequal, some of them thickened upward : racemes short, 

 forming a long and narrow leaf g panicle. 



1. S. discoidea, Torr. & Gray. Puhcscent or hairy; stem simple or 

 branched ; leaves ovate, acute, abruptly narrowed into a petiole, the lower ones 

 coarsely serrate ; racemes composed of 3 - 6 large 10 - 15-flowered heads ; rays 

 none ; achenia smooth. (Aster ? discoideus, Ell.) — Rich woods, Florida, Geor- 

 gia, and westward. September. — Flowers yellowish-white. Stem 3°- 5° high. 



2. S. squarrosa, Muhl. Stem stout, simple, pubescent above ;' leaves 

 large, smoothish, oblong, acute, serrate, the lower ones tapering into a long 

 winged petiole ; the upper sessile and entire ; racemes shorter than the leaves, 

 composed of 3 - 6 clustered heads; rays 12 -1G, showy; achenia smooth.— 

 Mountains of Georgia, and northward. September. — Stem 2° -4° high. Low- 

 est leaves 6' - 8' long. Heads 16 - 24-flowercd. 



§ 2. Virgaurea. — Scales of the iniwlucre oppressed : rags vtostlg fewer than the 



disk-jlowers, rarelg wanting : rewemes racemose, corgmbose, or panicled. 



* Racemes not 1 -sided ; leaves feather-veined. 



*- Racemes axillarg, cluster-like, usually shorter than the leaves : the uppermost often 



crowded and racemose : leaves uniform, serrate. 



3. S. pubens, M. A. Curtis. Stem simple, slender, pubescent ; leaves 

 thin, oval-lanceolate, acuminate at each end, coarsely serrate, pubescent; ra- 

 cemes dense, the upper ones racemose ; heads 8- 14-flowcred ; rays 4 - 7 ; scales 

 of the. involucre obtuse, villous-pubesccrrt; achenia hoary. — Upper and moun- 

 tainous part- of North Carolina, Curtis. August. — Stem 2° - 3° high. Leaves 

 ;{'- .V long. 



4. S. Buckleyi, Torr. 4 Cray. Villous-pubeseent ; leaves oblong, acute 

 at each end, coarsely senate, smoother above; racemes loose, all separate and 

 mmh shorter than the leaves; heads 15 - 20-flowered ; rays 4-6; scales of the 

 involucre rather acute, nearly smooth ; achenia short and smooth. — Interior of 



Alabama, Bvekley. October — Stem 2° high. Leaves 8' long. 



5. S. latifolia, L. Stem smooth, simple, angled ; leaves oval or ovntc, 

 acuminate, abruptly contracted at the base, unequally toothed-serrate, mostly 





