Part 34

Involucral scales in few series, broadly lanceolate, the outer shorter. Achenes prismatic, the broad truncate apex bearing a short coroniform pappus. Otherwise as Bellis.--Southwestern leafy-stemmed and branching pubescent herbs, with solitary terminal daisy-like heads. ([Greek: A)phane/s], _inconspicuous_, and [Greek: ste/phos], _crown_; in allusion to the pappus.)

1. A. Arkansanus, Gray. Diffuse, 1 deg. high; leaves oblong-spatulate to broadly lanceolate, the lower often toothed or lobed; rays white to purple, 1/2' long; pappus mostly 4--5-lobed.--Plains of Kan. and southward.

21. CHAETOPAPPA, DC.

Heads several-flowered, radiate; disk-flowers often sterile. Involucral bracts imbricated in 2 or more rows, the outer shorter. Receptacle flat, naked. Achenes fusiform or compressed; pappus of 5 or fewer thin nerveless paleae, alternating with rough bristly awns, or these wanting.--Low southwestern branching annuals, with narrow entire leaves and solitary terminal heads; ray white or purple. ([Greek: Chai/te], _a bristle_, and [Greek: pa/ppos], _pappus_.)

1. C. asteroides, DC. Slender, 2--10' high, pubescent; involucres narrow, 2'' long; rays 5--12; achenes pubescent.--Dry grounds, Vernon Co., Mo., and southward.

22. BOLTONIA, L'Her.

Heads many-flowered, radiate; the rays numerous, pistillate. Scales of the hemispherical involucre imbricated somewhat in 2 rows, appressed, with narrow membranaceous margins. Receptacle conical or hemispherical, naked. Achenes very flat, obovate or inversely heart-shaped, margined with a callous wing, or in the ray 3-winged, crowned with a pappus of several minute bristles and usually 2--4 longer awns.--Perennial and bushy-branched smooth herbs, pale green, with the aspect of Aster; the thickish leaves chiefly entire, often turned edgewise. Flowers autumnal; disk yellow; rays white or purplish. (Dedicated to _James Bolton_, an English botanist of the last century.)

[*] _Heads middle-sized, loosely corymbed._

1. B. asteroides, L'Her. Stems 2--8 deg. high; leaves lanceolate; involucral scales acuminate; pappus of few or many minute bristles and 2 awns or none. (B. glastifolia, _L'Her._, the awned form.)--Moist places along streams; Penn. to Ill., and southward to Fla. Sept., Oct.--Var. DECURRENS, Engelm., a large form with the leaves alate-decurrent upon the stem and branches. Mo. (_Eggert_).

2. B. latisquama, Gray. Heads rather larger; involucral scales oblong to ovate, obtuse or mucronate-apiculate; pappus-awns conspicuous.--W. Mo. and Kan.

[*][*] _Heads small, panicled on the slender branches._

3. B. diffusa, L'Her. Stem diffusely branched; leaves lance-linear, those on the branchlets very small and awl-shaped; rays short, mostly white; pappus of several very short bristles and 2 short awns.--Prairies of S. Ill. (_Vasey_), and southwestward. Aug.--Oct.

23. TOWNSENDIA, Hook.

Heads many-flowered, the numerous ray-flowers (violet to white) in a single series, fertile. Involucre broad, the lanceolate scariously margined scales imbricated in several series. Receptacle flat, naked. Achenes obovate or oblong, flattened, with thickish margins and beset with forked-capitellate hairs; pappus a single row of long awns or coarse rigid bristles, or reduced in the ray to chaffy scales.--Low scarcely caulescent herbs, with linear to spatulate entire leaves and large heads. (Named for _David Townsend_, botanical associate of Dr. Darlington of Penn.)

1. T. sericea, Hook. Acaulescent silky-pubescent perennial; heads sessile, solitary or few, 1/2--1' high; ray-pappus mostly bristly.--Dry plains, central Neb., north and westward. April, May.

24. SERICOCARPUS, Nees. WHITE-TOPPED ASTER.

Heads 12--20-flowered, radiate; the rays about 5, fertile (white). Involucre somewhat cylindrical or club-shaped; the scales closely imbricated in several rows, cartilaginous and whitish, appressed, with short and abrupt often spreading green tips. Receptacle alveolate-toothed. Achenes short, inversely pyramidal, very silky; pappus simple, of numerous capillary bristles.--Perennial tufted herbs (1--2 deg. high), with sessile somewhat 3-nerved leaves, and small heads mostly in little clusters, disposed in a flat corymb. Disk-flowers pale yellow. (Name from [Greek: seriko/s], _silky_, and [Greek: karpo/s], _fruit_.)

[*] _Pappus rusty; leaves sparingly serrate, veiny, rather thin._

1. S. conyzoides, Nees. Somewhat pubescent; leaves oblong-lanceolate or the lower spatulate, ciliate; heads rather loosely corymbed, obconical (4--6'' long).--Dry ground; Maine to Ohio, and southward. July.

[*][*] _Pappus white; leaves entire, obscurely veined, firmer and smaller._

2 S. solidagineus, Nees. Smooth, slender; leaves linear, rigid, obtuse, with rough margins, tapering to the base; heads narrow (3'' long), in close clusters, few-flowered.--Thickets, S. New Eng. to Tenn., and southward. July.

3. S. tortifolius, Nees. Hoary-pubescent; leaves obovate or oblong-spatulate, short (1/2--1' long), vertical, both sides alike; heads rather loosely corymbed, obovoid (4--5'' long).--Pine woods, Va. and southward. Aug.

25. ASTER, L. STARWORT. ASTER.

Heads many-flowered, radiate; the ray-flowers in a single series, fertile. Scales of the involucre more or less imbricated, usually with herbaceous or leaf-like tips. Receptacle flat, alveolate. Achenes more or less flattened; pappus simple, of capillary bristles (double in Secs. 4 and 5).--Perennial herbs (annual only in Secs. 7 and 8), with corymbed, panicled, or racemose heads; flowering in autumn. Rays white, purple, or blue; the disk yellow, often changing to purple. (Name [Greek: a)ste/r], _a star_, from the radiate heads of flowers.)

Conspectus of Groups.

Annuals, with copious fine soft pappus 53, 54

Pappus double 46--48

Scales closely imbricated, not green-tipped, often scarious-edged 49--52

Scales closely imbricated, scarcely at all herbaceous; leaves cordate, serrate 2, 3

Scales nearly equal, rigid, more or less foliaceous; pappus-bristles rigid, some thickened at top 1

Scales with herbaceous tips or the outer wholly foliaceous. ASTER proper.

Pappus rigid; stem-leaves sessile, none cordate or clasping; heads few, large 4--8

Leaves silvery-silky both sides, sessile, entire 14, 15

Lower leaves more or less cordate, petiolate 17--24

Leaves entire, lower not cordate, cauline sessile with cordate-clasping base 16

Involucre (and branchlets) viscid or glandular; leaves not cordate, mostly entire, the cauline all sessile or clasping 9--13

Lower leaves all acute at base; not glandular nor viscid nor silky-canescent.

Smooth and glabrous, usually glaucous; scales coriaceous at base; leaves firm, usually entire 25--30

Hoary-pubescent or hirsute; scales squarrose; stem-leaves small, linear, entire 31, 32

Scales closely imbricated, not coriaceous at base; branches divaricate; heads many, small 33--35

Remaining species; branches erect or ascending.

Stem-leaves auriculate-clasping or with winged-petiole-like base; involucre lax 42--45

Stem-leaves sessile, but rarely cordate or auriculate at base 36--41

Sec. 1. HELIASTRUM. _Pappus simple, coarse and rigid, the stronger bristles somewhat clavate; scales rigid, more or less foliaceous, nearly equal._

1. A. paludosus, Ait. Stems 1 deg. high; glabrous or nearly so; heads 1/2' high, rather few, racemose or spicate; outer scales lax, foliaceous; rays purple; leaves linear, entire.--Mo. to Tex., thence to Car. and Ga.

Sec. 2. BIOTIA. _Involucre obovoid-bell-shaped; the scales regularly imbricated in several rows, appressed, nearly destitute of herbaceous tips; rays 6--18 (white or nearly so); achenes slender; pappus slightly rigid, simple; lower leaves large, heart-shaped, petioled, coarsely serrate; heads in open corymbs._

2. A. corymbosus, Ait. _Stem slender_, somewhat zigzag; _leaves thin, smoothish, coarsely and unequally serrate with sharp spreading teeth, taper-pointed_, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, all but the uppermost heart-shaped at the base and on slender naked petioles; _rays 6--9_.--Woodlands; common; especially northward. July, Aug.--Plant 1--2 deg. high, with smaller heads, looser corymbs, rounder and less rigid exterior involucral scales, and thinner leaves than the next; not rough, but sometimes pubescent.

3. A. macrophyllus, L. _Stem stout and rigid_ (2--3 deg. high); _leaves thickish, rough, closely serrate_, abruptly pointed; the lower heart-shaped (4--10' long, 3--6' wide), long-petioled; the upper ovate or oblong, sessile or on margined petioles; heads in ample rigid corymbs; _rays 10--15_ (white or bluish).--Moist woods; common northward, and southward along the mountains. Aug., Sept.--Involucre 1/2' broad; the outer scales rigid, oblong or ovate-oblong, the innermost much larger and thinner.

Sec. 3. ASTER proper. _Scales imbricated in various degrees, with herbaceous or leaf-like summits, or the outer entirely foliaceous; rays numerous; pappus simple, soft and nearly uniform (coarser and more rigid in the first group); achenes flattened._ (All flowering late in summer or in autumn.)

[*] 1. _Scales well imbricated, coriaceous, with short herbaceous mostly obtuse spreading tips; pappus of rigid bristles; stem-leaves all sessile, none heart-shaped or clasping; heads few, or when several corymbose, large and showy._

[+] _Lowest leaves ovate or ovate-oblong, some rounded or subcordate at base._

4. A. Herveyi, Gray. Slightly scabrous, 1--2 deg. high, the summit and peduncles glandular-puberulent; leaves roughish, obscurely serrate, the lower ovate on nearly naked petioles, the upper lanceolate; heads loosely corymbose, 1/2' high; involucre nearly hemispherical, the scales obscurely glandular, all erect, with very short or indistinct green tips; rays violet, 1/2' long.--Borders of oak woods, in rather moist soil, E. Mass, and R. I.; Mt. Desert. An ambiguous species, approaching the last.

[+][+] _Radical leaves all tapering into margined petioles; involucres squarrose (hardly so in n. 8); rootstocks slender._

5. A. spectabilis, Ait. Stems 1--2 deg. high, roughish and glandular-puberulent above; leaves oblong-lanceolate, or the lower spatulate-oblong, obscurely serrate or the upper entire; heads few, hemispherical, 1/2' high; _scales glandular-puberulent and viscid_; mostly with the _upper half herbaceous and spreading_; rays about 20, bright violet, nearly 1' long.--sandy soil, Mass. to Del., near the coast, and perhaps southward. Sept.--Nov. One of the handsomest species of the genus.

6. A. surculosus, Michx. Stems 1 deg. high or less, _from long filiform rootstocks; leaves entire_ or nearly so, _rigid_, lanceolate or the upper linear; _heads_ few or solitary, as in the last but generally _smaller_, the _scales hardly glandular_.--Moist ground, coast of N. J., and southward.

7. A. gracilis, Nutt. Rootstocks occasionally tuberous-thickened; stems slender, 1 deg. high; leaves oblong-lanceolate, entire or nearly so, small (1--2' long); heads few or several; involucre top-shaped, 3--4'' long, glabrous, not glandular nor viscid, the _coriaceous whitish scales with very short deltoid or ovate tips_; rays 9--12, 3--6'' long.--Pine barrens, N. J. to N. C., E. Ky. and Tenn.

8. A. radula, Ait. Stem simple or corymbose at the summit, smooth or sparsely hairy, many-leaved (1--3 deg. high); _leaves oblong-lanceolate, pointed, sharply serrate in the middle, very rough both sides and rugose-veined_, closely sessile (2--3' long), nearly equal; _scales of the bell-shaped involucre oblong, appressed, with very short and slightly spreading herbaceous tips_; achenes smooth.--Bogs and low grounds, Del. to Maine and northward, near the coast; also Pocono Mountain, Penn. A dwarf form (var. STRICTUS, Gray) has oblong- to linear-lanceolate nearly entire leaves, and usually solitary heads; White Mountains, N. H., to Lab. Aug.--Rays light violet. Involucre nearly smooth, except the ciliate margins.

[*] 2. _Involucre and usually the branchlets viscidly or pruinose-glandular, well imbricated or loose; pubescence not silky; leaves entire (or the lower with few teeth), the cauline all sessile or clasping; rays showy, violet to purple._

[+] _Heads small; involucre not squarrose. Extreme western._

9. A. Fendleri, Gray. Rigid, 1 deg. high or less; leaves firm, linear, 1-nerved, hispid-ciliate, 1' long or mostly much less; heads scattered, 3'' high; scales linear-oblong, obtuse, or the inner acute.--Central Kan. (Ellis, _Dr. L. Watson_) and southwestward.

[+][+] _Heads larger; involucral scales spreading, in few or many ranks._

10. A. grandiflorus, L. _Rough with minute hispid hairs_; stems slender, loosely much branched (1--3 deg. high); _leaves very small_ (1/4--1' long), oblong-linear, obtuse, rigid, the uppermost passing into scales of the hemispherical squarrose many-ranked involucre; rays bright violet (1' long); achenes hairy.--Dry open places, Va. and southward.--Heads large and very showy.

11. A. oblongifolius, Nutt. _Minutely glandular-puberulent_, much branched above, rigid, paniculate-corymbose (1--2 deg. high); _leaves narrowly oblong or lanceolate_, mucronate-pointed, partly clasping, thickish (1--2' long by 2--5'' wide); involucral scales nearly equal, broadly linear, appressed at the base; rays violet-purple; achenes canescent.--Banks of rivers, from Penn. and Va. to Minn. and Kan.--Heads middle-sized or smaller.

Var. rigidulus, Gray. Low, with more rigid and hispidulous scabrous leaves.--In drier places, Ill., Wisc., and southwestward.

12. A. Novae-Angliae, L. _Stem stout, hairy_ (3--8 deg. high), corymbed at the summit; _leaves very numerous, lanceolate, entire, acute, auriculate-clasping, clothed with minute pubescence_, 2--5' long; _scales nearly equal, linear-awl-shaped, loose, glandular-viscid_, as well as the branchlets; rays violet-purple (in var. ROSEUS rose-purple), very numerous; achenes hairy.--Moist grounds; common.--Heads large. A peculiar and handsome species.

13. A. modestus, Lindl. Pubescent or glabrate; stem slender, simple, with few large heads terminating slender branchlets; leaves lanceolate, very acute, narrowed to a sessile base, sparingly serrate or serrulate; scales linear-attenuate, equal, mostly herbaceous; rays blue.--N. Dak. and westward.

[*] 3. _Leaves whitened, silvery-silky both sides, all sessile and entire, mucronulate; involucre imbricated in 3 to several rows; rays showy, purple-violet._

14. A. sericeus, Vent. Stems slender, branched; leaves silver-white, lanceolate or oblong, _heads mostly solitary_, terminating the short branchlets; _scales of the globular involucre similar to the leaves, spreading_, except the short coriaceous base; _achenes smooth_, many-ribbed.--Prairies and dry banks, Wisc. and Minn. to Ky., and southward.--Heads large; rays 20--30.

15. A. concolor, L. Stems wand-like, nearly simple; _leaves crowded, oblong or lanceolate, appressed_, the upper reduced to little bracts; _heads in a simple or compound wand-like raceme_; scales of the obovoid involucre closely imbricated in several rows, appressed, rather rigid, silky, lanceolate; _achenes silky_.--Dry sandy soil near the coast, R. I., N. J., and southward.--Plant 1--3 deg. high, with the short leaves 1' or less in length, grayish-silky both sides.

[*] 4._Leaves entire, the lower not heart-shaped, the cauline all with sessile and cordate-clasping base, the auricles generally meeting around the stem._

16. A. patens, Ait. Rough-pubescent; stem loosely panicled above (1--3 deg. high), with widely spreading branches, the heads mostly solitary, terminating slender branchlets; leaves oblong-lanceolate or ovate-oblong, often contracted below the middle, rough, especially above and on the margins; scales of the minutely roughish involucre with spreading pointed tips; achenes silky.--Var. PHLOGIFOLIUS, Nees, is a form of shady moist places, with larger and elongated thin scarcely rough leaves, downy underneath, sometimes a little toothed above, mostly much contracted below the middle.--Dry ground; common, Mass. to Minn., and southward. Heads 1/2' broad, with showy deep blue-purple rays.

[*] 5 _Lower leaves heart-shaped and petioled; no glandular or viscid pubescence; heads with short and appressed green-tipped scales (except in n. 16 and 23), mostly small and numerous, racemose or panicled._

[+] _Heads middle-sized, with many rays, and squarrose foliaceous involucre._

17. A. anomalus, Engelm. Somewhat pubescent and scabrous; stems slender (2--4 deg. high), simple or racemose-branched above; leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate, pointed, entire, the upper small and almost sessile; scales of the hemispherical involucre imbricated in several rows, appressed, with linear spreading leafy tips; achenes smooth.--Limestone cliffs, W. Ill. and Mo. to Ark.--Rays violet-purple.

[+][+] _Rays 10--20; involucral scales appressed or erect._

[++] _Leaves entire or slightly serrate; heads middle-sized; rays bright-blue._

18. A. azureus, Lindl. Stem rather rough, erect, racemose-compound at the summit, the branches slender and rigid; _leaves rough, the lower ovate-lanceolate or oblong, heart-shaped, on long often hairy petioles; the others lanceolate or linear, sessile_, on the branches awl-shaped; involucre inversely conical.--Copses and prairies, western N. Y., and Ohio to Minn., and southwestward. Involucre much as in A. laevis, but smaller and slightly pubescent.

19. A. Shortii, Hook. Stem slender, spreading, nearly smooth, bearing very numerous heads in racemose panicles; _leaves smooth above, minutely pubescent underneath, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, elongated_, tapering gradually to a sharp point, _all but the uppermost more or less heart-shaped at base, and on naked petioles_, none clasping; involucre bell-shaped.--Cliffs and banks, Ohio to Ill., and southward.--A pretty species, 2--4 deg. high; leaves 3--5' long.

20. A. undulatus, L. Pale or somewhat hoary with close pubescence; stem spreading, bearing numerous heads in racemose panicles; _leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate, with wavy or slightly toothed margins, roughish above, downy underneath_, the lowest heart-shaped on margined petioles, the others _abruptly contracted into short broadly winged petioles which are dilated and clasping at the base_, or directly sessile by a heart-shaped base; involucre obovoid, the scales less rigid.--Dry copses; common.

[++][++] _Leaves conspicuously serrate; heads small; rays pale blue or nearly white._

21. A. cordifolius, L. Stem much branched above, _the spreading or diverging branches bearing very numerous panicled heads_; lower leaves all heart-shaped, on slender and mostly naked ciliate petioles; _scales of the inversely conical involucre all appressed and tipped with very short green points, obtuse or acutish_.--Woodlands; very common.--Heads profuse, but quite small. Varies with the stem and leaves either smooth, roughish, or sometimes hairy, also with the leaves all narrower. Apparent hybrids with n. 35 also occur.

22. A. sagittifolius, Willd. Stem rigid, erect, with _ascending branches bearing numerous racemose heads_; leaves ovate-lanceolate, pointed; the lower heart-shaped at base, on margined petioles; the upper lanceolate or linear, pointed at both ends; _scales of the oblong involucre linear, tapering into awl-shaped slender and loose tips_.--Dry ground, N. Y. and Penn. to Ky., and northward.--Green, but usually more or less hairy or downy; the heads rather larger than in the last, almost sessile.

23. A. Drummondii, Lindl. Pale with fine gray pubescence; _leaves cordate to cordate-lanceolate, mostly on margined petioles_, the uppermost lanceolate and sessile; _scales acute or acutish_.--Passing into the last. Open ground, etc., Ill. to Minn. and Kan.

24. A. Lindleyanus, Torr. & Gray. Rather stout, 1--2 deg. high, sparsely pubescent or nearly glabrous; _radical and lowest leaves ovate, moderately or obscurely cordate_, the uppermost sessile and pointed at both ends; _heads larger_, rather few in a loose thyrse or panicle, _the linear-attenuate scales looser and less imbricated_; rays pale violet.--Lab. to L. Superior; Lisbon, N. H. (_C. E. Faxon_), and Mt. Desert (_Rand_).

[*] 6. _Without heart-shaped petioled leaves, the radical and lower all acute or attenuate at base; not glandular nor viscid, nor silky-canescent._

[+] _Smooth and glabrous throughout (or nearly so, except forms of n. 29), and usually pale and glaucous; involucral scales closely imbricated, firm and whitish-coriaceous below, green-tipped; leaves firm, usually entire._

[++] _Rays violet or blue; scales rather abruptly green-tipped; leaves on the branchlets reduced to rigid subulate bracts._

25. A. turbinellus, Lindl. Stem slender, 3 deg. high, paniculately branched; leaves oblong to narrowly lanceolate, tapering to each end, with rough margins; _involucre elongated-obconical_ or almost club-shaped (1/2' long); the scales linear, with very short and blunt green tips; rays violet-blue; achenes nearly smooth.--Dry hills, etc., Ill., Mo., and southwestward.--Well-marked and handsome.

26. A. laevis, L. Stouter, 2--4 deg. high; heads in a close panicle; leaves thickish, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, chiefly entire, the upper more or less clasping by an auricled or heart-shaped base; scales of the _short-obovoid or hemispherical involucre_ with short abrupt green tips; rays sky-blue; achenes smooth.--Borders of woodlands; common. A variable and elegant species.

27. A. virgatus, Ell. Slender, strict and simple, with few or several _racemose or terminal heads_, like those of the last; _leaves lanceolate or linear, the lower usually long and narrow_.--S. W. Va., and southward.

28. A. concinnus, Willd. Not glaucous, slender, 1--3 deg. high; leaves lanceolate, mostly somewhat serrate, the lowest spatulate-lanceolate on winged petioles; _heads smaller_ than in the preceding, _numerous, panicled_; rays violet.--Rare; Penn. and southward.

[++][++] _Rays white or turning purplish; scales narrow, subulately green-tipped; leaves mostly narrow, narrowed at base, on the branchlets lax and attenuate._

29. A. polyphyllus, Willd. Often tall (4 or 5 deg. high), with virgate branches; cauline leaves narrowly lanceolate or linear, 4 or 5' long; heads paniculate; scales lanceolate-subulate, the outermost much shorter; rays 4'' long.--N. Vt. to Wisc., and southward. Heads larger and flowering earlier than the next.

30. A. ericoides, L. Smooth or sparingly hairy (1--3 deg. high); the simple branchlets or peduncles racemose along the upper side of the wand-like spreading branches; lowest leaves oblong-spatulate, sometimes toothed; the others linear-lanceolate or linear-awl-shaped; heads 3'' high or less; involucral scales often nearly equal, with attenuate or awl-shaped green tips.--Dry open places, S. New Eng. to Minn., and southward.--Var. VILLOSUS, Torr. & Gray, is a hairy form, often with broader leaves; chiefly in the Western States.--Var. PUSILLUS, Gray, is a dwarf slender and glabrous form of the barrens of Lancaster, Penn. (_Porter_), with very narrow or filiform leaves and very small few-flowered heads.--Var. PRINGLEI, Gray, a low strict form, with few erect branches and rather small heads. About Lake Champlain.