COMPOSITAE 
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(2) the very simple and effective floral mechanism, which ensures 
(d) protection of honey and pollen ; (e) exclusion of the vei;y 
short-lipped (allotropous) insects, but not too great specialisa- 
tion for a very narrow circle of visitors; (/) prevention of 
self- and chance of cross-fertilisation till the last possible 
moment; (^) certainty of self-fertilisation if the cross fails; 
(3) the use of the calices of individual firs, for purposes of seed- 
distribution, and the very perfect character of the mechanism. 
Taking together all these considerations, and comparing them 
with the features of rival orders, e.g. Cruciferae, Gramineae, Rubia- 
ceae, Leguminosae, none of which have so perfect an “outfit,” it is 
not surprising that the Compositae have been so successful. 
Economic uses . The C. furnish but few useful plants (other than 
border or greenhouse plants). See Lactuca, Cichorium, Cynara, 
Helianthus, Carthamus, Chrysanthemum, Tanacetum, &c. 
Classification and chief genera (after Hoffmann). As might be 
expected from what has been said in the last paragraph, and from 
what we see in other large and dominant orders such as Cruciferae, 
Umbelliferae, &c., the classification of the C. and the determination of 
their genera is a matter of no small difficulty. For the purposes of 
this work it would be useless to enter into details ; we shall therefore 
give only the primary groupings and their chief genera. [There are 
several exceptions to the characters given below.] 
[. Abbreviations : cap. = capitulum ; tub. = tubular ; lig. =ligulate; 
homog. =flrs. in head all similar as to sex; heterog.=flrs. of different 
sex in one head, e.g. ray ? and disc $ .] 
A. TUBULIFLORAE. Firs, of disc not ligulate. No latex. 
I. Vernonieae (cap. homog.; firs, tub., never yellow; anthers 
arrow-shaped at base, pointed or rarely tailed, with 
filaments inserted high above the base; stigmas semi- 
cylindrical, long, pointed, hairy outside) ; stigmatic 
papillae all over inner surface : Vernonia. 
II. Eupatorieae (cap. homog.; firs, tub., never pure yellow ; 
anthers blunt at base, with filaments inserted at base ; 
stigmas long, but blunt or flattened at tip, with very 
short hairs ; stigmatic papillae in marginal rows) : Age- 
ratum, Eupatorium, Mikania. 
III. Astereae (cap. heterog. or homog. ; all or only central firs. 
tub. ; anthers as in II ; stigmas flattened with marginal 
rows of papillae, and terminal hairy unreceptive por- 
tions) : Solidago, Beilis, Aster, Erigeron, Baccharis. 
IV. Inuleae (as IV ; corolla in tub. firs, with 4 — 5-toothed 
limb ; anthers tailed at base ; styles various) : Filago, 
Antennaria, Gnaphalium, Helichrysum, Inula. 
V. Heliantheae (style with crown of long hairs above the 
division; anthers usually rounded at base with basally 
