into a tube, but distinct at the points, of a dark purple.
Style smooth, about the length of the stamens. S tig mas
2, long and spreading, sometimes twisted, or
curled, slightly flattened, scarcely papillose, bluntish,
of a bright lilac. Seeds striate, densely hairy, and
crowned with a pappus of long white feathered hairs.
This very handsome plant is a native of North
America. Pursh mentions it as growing on the high
mountains of Virginia and Carolina, and flowering
from August to October; our plant did not agree so
well with his description of the leaflets of the involucrum
as could be wished, yet we think there can be no
doubt but it is the same species ; in our plant, these
were generally bluntly rounded ; he describes them as
more pointed : every other part of his description perfectly
agrees with our plant.
The plant from which our drawing was taken, was
imported last Autumn, from North America, by
Mr. Colvill; it began flowering, this year, the beginning
of September, but did not ripen seeds, owing, we
believe, to the dampness of the atmosphere, as plants
of this genus in general seed freely ; it requires to be
planted in a warm border of rich light earth, and it
will also be well to protect some plants of it in frames
in Winter, as they are sometimes destroyed by very
hard frost, except covered with straw, or glass. It
may be propagated, but slowly, by dividing the root.
1, Involucre. 2. Capitulum split through the centre, to show the naked
dotted Receptacle. 3. Leaflet of the Involucrum. 4. Floret, showing the
pappus on the seed surrounding the tube. 6. Floret laid open, to show its villous
inside, and the nerves. G. Stamens, showing the distinct filaments and
connected anthers. 7. Seed, terminated by the Style and Stigmas.