310 COMPOSITAE 
86. SERICOCARPUS Nees, Gen. & Sp. Aster. 148. 1832. 
Perennial herbs, leafy-stemmed, resembling Aster. Leaves linear to elliptic or obovate, 
entire or toothed, usually sessile, firm. Heads small, fasciculate-cymose in terminal panicles, 
radiate, “White, the anthers often purple. Involucre narrow, few- to several-seriate, gradu- 
ate, phyllaries mostly oblong, with indurate white base and (at least in the outer) 
a erbaceous tip. Receptacle narrow, es alveolate. Ray -flowers few, pistillate, 
— elit am disk- Toott rs rather nun , the ir corollas w ith funnel form thr = 
Pappus rather copious, about 3-s 
earl oo Greek, meaning silky fru 
us of 4 species, all of the United se and Canada. 
knafotiee (L. BSP). 
Type species, Aster solidagineus Michx. (=S. 
Rays shorter than the pappus, typically 2; inflorescence of heads in a solitary terminal cluster. ae 
1. S. rigidus. 
Rays exceeding the pappus, typically 5; inflorescence of clusters of heads paniculately disposed : 
2. S. oregonensis. 
1. Sericocarpus rigidus Lindl. Rigid White-topped Aster. Fig. 5524. 
Sericocarpus rigidus Lindl. in Hook. rea Amer. 2: 14. 1834. 
Se Wee a rigidus var. sedges 3 Nutt. Trans. ae Phil. Soc. IT. 7: 302. 1840. 
Aster curtus Cronquist, Vasc. Pl. Pacif. ae 1955. 
Perennial herb from oe. pa ay ay the leafy stems paca simple below and glabrous 
or Rep “sg gree ulous, 1-3 dm. high, Lo 
base, 2.5-3 et i 
ermost leaves usually soon deciduous, the larger above 
the g, = mm. wide, oblanceolate, tapering ¢3 the ase, abaine or acutish at 
apex  bhapduioak ciliate’ 6 he margin, tending to be usage inflorescence usuall imple 
fasciculate c cyme, more ely branched, the oo 7- igh, narrow; phyllaries imbricat 
in a series of 34, ong or the inner linear, r acute, po or bss green tip somewhat spread- 
ing ; rays white, 1-3, usually 2, shorter than the sain 1-3 mm. long ; disk-flowers few, pale yellow 
with purple anthers; achenes canescent, about 2.5 mm. long, "ehopus ‘white, Boout 7 mm. long. 
Prairies, Humid and Arid Transition Zones; western Washington and adjacent Oregon; also occurring in 
the Klamath region of southern Oregon. Type locality : Columbia River. Collected by Scouler. July—Aug 
2. Sericocarpus — Nutt. Oregon White-topped Aster. Fig. 5525. 
Sericocarpus oregonensis Nutt. Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. IT. 7: 302. 1840. 
Aster oregonensis Cronquist, ae Fl. Paci. Northw. 5: 91, 
Perennial from a woody caudex sometimes elongated, stems 4-12 dm. high, glabrous or nearly 
ual i" ida’ Phy, 
5524. Sericocarpus rigidus 
5525. Sericocarpus oregonensis 
