18 



THE AAIERICAX BOTANIST 



late, in about 4 rows, seldom longer than the heads, canescent 

 throughout, with heavily ciliate margins, acute, the tips cuspi- 

 date. Disk flowers canescent on the lower fourth, smooth or 

 puberulent above. Achenes 4= mm. long, gray mottled with 

 dusky, pubescent near the summit also with a few scattered 

 hairs. Pappus of two lanceolate awns, cansecent and splintered 

 into sharp teeth, at least at the broadened base. Chaff canese- 

 cent at the summit and toothed. The plant comes nearest to 

 H. fubcrosus subcaiiesccns. 



Type specimens numbers 538rt (2 sheets). Sept. 12, 1910. 

 and 5816>4, Sept. 16, 1913. Red Cloud, Nebraska, within the 

 city limits. Another Red Cloud sheet (Xo. 3361, Sept. 13, 

 1904,) differs in having larger leaves the upper few alternate, 

 the bracts longer and acuminate and less canescent. It is es- 

 sentially the same. The first collection. No. 1990. was made 

 at Callaway, Custer County, 125 miles northwest, Sept. 9, 1901. 

 It has longer bracts and narrower scales and a few more rays 

 but is mostly like the type. I have been for twelve years try- 

 ing to make it fit some description in the ^Manuals. Dr. Britton 

 and Dr. Rydberg, to whom I carried it in October, 1913, say 

 they have seen nothing like it. I have named it in honor of 

 Dr. Charles E. Bessey of the University of Nebraska who has 

 been my inspiration for twenty-five years. 



If this should prove to be a hybrid, it would likely come 

 from H. fubcrosus and H. Iiirsufus fracliyphyllus. The former 

 is here ; the latter I have been unable to find thougdi attributed 

 to Nebraska. It is not unlikely that some form of the present 

 species has been confounded with the variety. Dr. H. Hape- 

 man of Minden has collected on the Platte some forms that ap- 

 proxiniate the present species as well as several other evident 

 hybrids. They will be studied intensely in the near future, as 

 larger collections are made in full flower and fruit. 



