Aster.] XLIII. COMPOSITE. 227 



shorter than the florets and the pappus. Achenes compressed and 

 silky as in other Asters. Linosyris vulgaris, Cass. 



In clefts of rocks and on stony hills, and especially along gravelly 

 banks of great rivers in south, central, and western Europe, to the 

 Caucasus, not extending into northern Germany, although reappearing 

 on the Isle of Oeland, in the Baltic. In Britain confined to a few 

 limestone cliffs on the southern and western coasts of England and 

 Wales. Fl. end of summer, or autumn. 



An Aster with flat lanceolate occasionally toothed leaves, and loosely 

 corymbose radiating flower-heads, has been found on the banks of the 

 Tay, near Perth, and in Wicken fen in Cambridgeshire, and has been 

 referred to A. salignus, Willd. ; the specimens, however, do not appear 

 to me to represent the German plant of that name, but rather a garden 

 variety of A. longifolius, Lam., a species long in cultivation, and which 

 probably in the above localities is an escape from some garden. [The 

 true A. salignus has, however, been found as an escape from cultivation 

 in Cambridgeshire.] 



III. ERIGERON. ERIGEKON. 



Differs from Aster in the involucral bracts very narrow and numerous, 

 and in the outer florets very numerous and much narrower, either form- 

 ing a short coloured ray, or almost filiform and not projecting beyond 

 the involucre and pappus. The regular, tubular, yellowish florets in 

 the centre often reduced to very few. 



Its geographical range is even more extended than that of Aster, for 

 several species are natives of the tropics ; some are found in the 

 extreme Arctic regions, or on the summits of the Alps, whilst others 

 spread as weeds nearly all over the globe. 



Outer florets almost filiform, not projecting beyond the involucre. 



Heads very numerous, and small 3. E. canadensis. 



Outer florets (some or all) forming a shortly projecting coloured 

 ray. 

 Annual or biennial. Flower-heads several, or rather long 



peduncles. Ray erect, very little longer than the disk . 1 E. acris. 

 Perennial. Flower-heads solitary or very few. Ray spreading, 



considerably longer than the disk 2. E. alpinus. 



Several large-flowered American species are occasionally cultivated 

 in our flower-gardens. 



1. E. acris, Linn, (fig. 500). Fleabane E. — An erect annual or biennial, 

 6 inches to a foot high, slightly branched, and rather rough with short 

 hairs. Leaves linear or lanceolate and entire, the radical ones stalked, 

 but usually withered away at the time of flowering. Flower-heads 

 rather small, solitary on the peduncles or upper branches, forming a 

 short, loose panicle. Florets very numerous, mostly filiform and short, 

 the outer rows of a pale purple, projecting slightly beyond the invo- 

 lucre and pappus, the tubular ones of the centre very few, of a pale 

 yellow. 



In pastures, on banks, roadsides, and waste places, common in the 

 greater part of Europe, from the Mediterranean to the Arctic regions, 

 and in central and Eussian Asia. Less frequent in England and 

 Ireland, and rare in Scotland. Fl. summer and autumn. It varies much 



