COMPOSITE YXSITLY. 



175 



6. SOUDA'GO, L. Goldex-rod. 



[Latin, SoJido, to unite, or make firm ; from its supposed healing yirtuos.] 



Heads few- or sometimes niaDv-flowered ; ray-fiorets few, pistillate ; dish 

 ferrets tubular, perfect. Scales of the obong involucre imbricated, 

 appressed, not green or foliaceous at apex. Receptacle small, mostly 

 naked. Akenes many-ribbed, somewhat terete. Pappus simple, con- 

 sisting of numerous scabrous capillary bristles, mostly equal. Heads 

 in terminal or axillary racemes, with the pedicels often unilateral, 

 — sometimes corymbose. Perennicds. with wand-like stems and nearly 

 sessile stem leayes, neyer heart-shaped. 



1. S. nemoralis, -^id- Stem simple or corymbosely branched aboye, 

 clothed with a yery short yelyety cinereous pubescence ; radical leayes 

 oboyate-cuneate or spatulate. tapering into a petiole, sparingly crenate- 

 serrate, — cauline ones oblanceolate. nearly entire^ roughish-pubescent ; 

 racemes numerous, short, dense, unilateral, at length recuryed-spreading, 

 often corymbose-paniculate ; scales of the inyolucre lance-oblong, obtuse, 

 appressed ; akenes pubescent with white appressed hairs. 

 Wood or GRoyE Solid ago. Golden-rod. 



Whole plant of an asli-colorcd or greyisli aspect, by reason of its short cinereous pu- 

 bescence. :>tem 1-2 or 3 feet high, sometimes branched from near the ^-oot. Radical 

 leaves 1-i or 5 inches long, with pelioles 1-3 inches long. Heads with 3-6 disk-florets, 

 and 6-9 ray-florets, in secund racemes — or (in stunted branched specimens) often in 

 small axillary clusters ; rays rather short, spatulate-oblong. 



Sterile, neglected old fields ; borders of woods, ice. : throughout the- United States 

 fl. August -September. Fr. October. 



Obs. Seycral species of Solidago (or Golden-rod, as they are all 

 named, in the yernacular tongue) — some of them much larger than this 

 — occur along fence-rows, borders of woods and thickets, &c. They 

 are all no better than weeds on a farm : but this is the one which 

 mostly intrudes upon neglected pasture grounds, — and h?s therefore 

 been selected for description, as a sample of the genus. It is speedily 

 banished by good farming. — as most of our natiye weeds are, or may be. 

 S, odo'ra, -Ad. The •• Sweet Golden-rod'' is found in dry soil — it i.=! 

 distinguished by the smoothish, entire, linear-lanceolate le'^yes which 

 contain numerous pelkicid dots of oil, with a pleasant odor. An infu- 

 sion of the herb is used as an aromatic stimulant. The oil is "rometimes 

 distilled from the plant, and is used for the same purpose. 



7. IX'ULA, L. Elecampane. 



[The ancient Latin name.] 



Heads large, many - flowered ; rays in a single series, yery numerous, li- 

 near. Livolucral scales loosely imbricated, in seyera,l series, the outer 

 foliaceous. Akenes -i-sided or terete ; pappus of capillary bristles. Pe- 

 rennial ; leayes often clasping; heads solitary or corymbose .; j^o^i'^ri 

 yellow. 



