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COMPOSITE. 
Order LVI, COMPOSITE. 
Flowers hermaphrodite, or by abortion unisexual, rarely neuter, 
many crowded in a head on a flat or conical naked or scaly receptacle 
surrounded by an involucre of one or many rows of imbricated scale- 
like bracts. Calyx adnate to the ovary, the limb absent or represented 
by a pappus of scales or many or few bristles or hairs. Corolla 
gamopetalous, the limb campanulate or funnel-shaped with 5 regular 
teeth or slit open or strap-shaped in the outer flowers or all the flowers 
of the clusters. Stamens 5, epipetalous, with free filiform filaments, 
but the anthers connate by their edges. Ovary inferior, 2-celled ; 
ovules solitary, basal, anatropal ; style filiform, branching into two arms 
at the stigmatose apex. Fruit a minute dry terete or flattened ache- 
niurn, crowned by the persistent or caducous pappus. Seed exalbu- 
minous, usually confluent with the pericarp. — Herbs or shrubs, with 
alternate or opposite exstipulate leaves, the heads usually copious, 
mostly in terminal corymbs or corymbose panicles. Distrib. Cosmo- 
politan. The largest known natural order, containing 10,000 species. 
Flowers all perfect, purple and tubular. 
Leaves alternate. 
Involucre campanulate, with very numerous scales . 1. Vernonia. 
Involucre cylindrical ; scales 8, biserial 2. Elephantopus. 
Leaves opposite. 
Pappus of 3-5 small gland-tipped bristles .... 3. Adenostemma. 
Pappus of 4-5 long lanceolate scales 4. Ageratum. 
Pappus of abundant long bristles * Eupatorium. 
Heads heterogamous or rarely with flowers all tubular 
and perfect. 
Anthers produced at the base into tails. 
Herbs. 
Stems winged * Pterocaulon. 
Stems not winged. 
Scales herbaceous not cottony 5. Blumea. 
Scales dry cottony 6. Gnaphalium. 
Shrubs. 
Pappus of flattened scales 7. Cylindrocline. 
Pappus of bristles. 
Involucre a narrow funnel 8. Monarrhenus. 
Involucre campanulate 9. Helichrysum. 
Anthers not tailed. 
Leaves opposite. 
Pappus none or very obscure. 
Outer scales of involucre longest clavate . . .10. Siegesbeckia. 
Scales of involucre subequal. 
Receptacle conical 11. Spilanthes. 
Receptacle rather convex 12. Eclipta. 
Pappus of 2-4 short bristles .13. Bidens. 
Pappus of copious long plumose bristles .... * Tridax. 
Leaves alternate. 
Involucre multiserial with imbricated scales. 
Glutinous shrubs 14. Psiadia. 
Dwarf perennial herbs 15. Abrotanella. 
