PERENNIAL SUNFLOWERS. 



33 



There is one specimen in the British Museum labelled " divari- 

 catus from Eochester," with slightly stalked leaves, hut this 

 may be one of the hybrids Dr. Gray has called H. ambiguus. 

 All the Kew plants, although having distinctly stalked leaves and 

 sparingly branched stems, may be distinguished by their leaves 

 being opposite quite to the top, somewhat appressed, scabrous, 

 and serrulated ; the flowers orange-yellow, smaller than H. 

 decapetalus, and opening at least a fortnight earlier. 



Of H. orgyalis (fig. 8, p. 37) and H. angustifolius I need say 

 little here. Both are comparptively rare plants, and both are 

 extremely graceful, and in warm summers flower freely. 



H. occidcntalis always reminds one of a poor rigidus, and iT. 

 mollis is more distinct than handsome. 



Before closing I would like to say a few words about the near 

 allies of the Sunflowers. It seems somewhat strange, considering 

 the number of Helianthuses in cultivation, and their value in the 

 autumn garden, that efforts have not been made to introduce 

 some few of the neighbouring genera. The Gymnolomias, for 

 instance, are graceful and extremely pretty plants ; the Helian- 

 thellas, of which we have only one species in cultivation, H. 

 ■uniflora, and which we find a most interesting and useful rock- 

 plant ; and lastly, the Wyethias, most of which are large-flowered 

 showy plants. I feel sure if we made an effort our American friends 

 would help us in the matter. 



Synoptical Key to Garden Sunflowers. 



§ Involucral bracts short, ovate-obtuse or acutish. 



H. rigidus, Desf. type. — 4 to 4^ feet high ; stem scabrous 

 or hispidulous ; upper leaves alternate, broadly lanceolate, 

 distinctly 3 -nerved and veined ; the lower opposite, thinner, 

 sparsely serrated, and somewhat acuminate, narrowing to a 

 winged petiole ; bracts of the involucre short, ovate-acute, and 

 somewhat spreading ; heads showy, bright yellow ; disc yellowish. 

 (372, 381,* pubescens, Barr, flowers a fortnight or so later than 

 var. astivus.) Plains and prairies, West Georgia, Texas, Colo- 

 rado, &c. 



* The numbers throughout refer to the specimens growing at Chiswick, 

 and are retained only for the convenience of the Nomenclature Committee. 



D 



