in short racemes on the spreading branches. Sometimes the stem is simple,
with the short and crowded racemes at first erect, and scarcely secund when
old. The leaves are rather finely serrate, coarsely veined, the veins conspicuous
on the lower surface; the radical often 6 inches long and 3-4 broad,
abruptly narrowed into a winged petiole ; the lower cauline nearly similar,
narrowed at the base, or contracted into a short winged petiole ; the upper
successively smaller and more closely sessile, lanceolate-oblong, acute or
sometimes obtuse. When it grows in deep shade, the leaves become more
membranaceous and less scabrous.
41. S. arguta (Ait.): smooth and glabrous throughout, except the minutely
ciliate margins of the leaves; stem strict; radical and lower cauline
leaves large, elliptical or lanceolate-oval, veiny, sharply serrate, with spreading
teeth, acuminate, tapering into winged and ciliate petioles; the others
lanceolate or oblong, somewhat triplinerved, tapering to each end, sessile,
serrate, the uppermost entire; racemes dense, at length elongated and recurved,
forming a crowded corymbose panicle ; scales of the involucre ap-
pressed; rays 8-12, small, the disk-flowers about 10 ; achenia scarcely pubescent.—
A it.! Kew. (ed. 1) 3. p. 313 ; Pursh, Jl. 2. p. 538; (Ell. sk. 2.
p . 374 ?) DC. prodr. 5. p. 333 ; not of Muhl., Darlingt*, &fc. S. ciliaris,
Mvhl.i in Willd. spec. 3. p. 2056; Darlingt.! jl. Cest. p. 455; DC.
prodr. 5. p. 331. S. argentea, Hornern. suppl., ex DC.
p. juncea: lower leaves narrower and less deeply serrate, the upper more
entire.—S. juncea, A it.! Kew. 1. c .; Pursh, l. c. ; Hook. ! jl. Bor.-Am. 2.
p . 3 ; not of Ell., nor of DC.
y. scahrella: leaves, especially the lower, scabrous or roughish-pubescent,
at least beneath ; racemes somewhat pubescent.
Meadows, fields, &c. either in dry or moist places, a. & /3. Canada (from
Subarctic America, Richardson!) and throughout the Northern and Western
States! to South Carolina! y. Barrens of Indiana, Dr. Clapp! Marshes
around Louisville, Kentucky, Dr. Short! Wisconsin, Mr. Lapham ! Aug.
-Sept.—A rather stout species, 2-4 feet high, apparently well distinguished
by the very numerous heads, mostly smaller than in any of its allies, compactly
disposed in long, at length recurved racemes, which form an ample
and dense fastigiate-corymbose panicle; by the much appressed and rigid
somewhat carinate scales of the involucre (the exterior ovate-oblong); the
small ray s; glabrous branches of the inflorescence, with the bracts usually
ciliate, &c. The radical and lower leaves are frequently very large, ovate-
oblong or elliptical, and sharply and coarsely serrate; this form is the
S. arguta of Aiton, according to specimens compared by Dr. Boott, &c.:
when they are narrower and less coarsely serrate, it is the S. juncea, Ait.,
&c. The young achenia are more or less pubescent under a lens; but
when mature they are almost glabrous.
41. S. Muhlenhergii : stem angled, glabrous; leaves (large and thin)
smooth and glabrous both sides, very sharply and strongly serrate ; the radical
ovate, on winged (naked or ciliate) petioles; the cauline elliptical-lanceolate,
strongly acuminate, tapering into a narrow base or margined petiole;
the uppermost some what entire; racemes pubescent, short, spreading, disposed
in an elongated open panicle; scales of the involucre oblong-linear; rays
6-7, large ; the disk-flowers about 12 ; achenia glabrous.—S. arguta, Muhl.!
Jl. Lancast. ined., &f herb.; Darlingt. ' jl. Cest. p. 458 ; not of Ait., nor of
Ell. (ex char.)
Low or shady grounds, Massachusetts! Vermont! New York! and
Pennsylvania! Aug.-Sept.—Stem 2-3 feet high, simple, or branched at
the summit. Leaves very sharply and often doubly serrate'with narrow
teeth, as in those of S. latifolia, which they somewhat resemble, the acuminate
base and apex mostly entire. Panicle often simple at the summit; the
lateral branches or racemes mostly short, more or less secund, but seldom
recurved : the heads crowded, larger than in S. arguta, and as large as in
S. speciosa ; the rays also pretty large.—This plant best deserves the name
of S. arguta, for which Muhlenberg and Darlington have taken i t : but the
original species of that name appears to be the S. ciliaris of these authors.
It is said to resemble the S. ambigua, in which species the racemes are
not secund, and the achenia are almost villous.
43. 5. Boottii (Hook.) : stem usually branching; radical and lowest cauline
leaves ovate or oblong-lanceolate, serrate, on slender margined petioles ;
the others lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, appressed-serrate (or the upper entire),
acuminate at both ends, or contracted into a winged petiole; racemes
loosely paniculate, elongated ; scales of the, involucre narrowly oblong, obtuse
; rays 2-5; the disk-flowers 8-12 ; achenia minutely pubescent.
a. stem slender, glabrous ; the lax spreading branches pubescent, bearing
(few or solitary) rather loose secund racemes ; leaves glabrous, with scabrous
margins, the upper entire.—S. Boottii, Hook. ! compan. to hot. mag. 1 .p . 97,
(the specimens destitute of the lower leaves, &c.)
/3. stem slender, glabrous; racemes very loose, paniculate; lower leaves
somewhat pubescent, or sometimes nearly all scabrous-pubescent on both
sides.
y. stem and both surfaces of the leaves scabrous-pubescent; branches slender,
bearing rather loose and often simple racemes.
S. glabrous, except the branches; stem stouter; leaves attenuate-acuminate
at both ends, often very sharply serrate; racemes rather dense, secund, recurved,
forming a sparse terminal panicle.—S. juncea? E ll.! sk. 2. p. 375,
not of Ait.
e. ? glabrous; stem stout; leaves rigid, oblong, less acuminate, the lower
serrate with spreading teeth; racemes dense, very numerous, forming an
ample compound panicle.
Sandy fields and woods, North Carolina! to Florida! and Louisiana!
a. Louisiana, Drummond! Florida, Dr. Leavenworth! f3. Louisiana, Dr.
Leavenworth! Dr. Hale! y. Georgia, Dr. Boykin! <5. Southern States!
apparently common, e. Louisiana, Dr. Leavenworth! Dr. Hale! Texas,
Drummond.! Aug.-Oct.—Variable in many respects, yet apparently a well
marked species, 2-5 feet high, with rather large heads: when the latter are
loose, the pedicels are furnished with several subulate bracts.
44. S. gracillima: smooth and glabrous throughout; stem virgate,
branched towards the summit; the branches strict, very iong and slender,
leafy, terminated by single virgate secund racemes with the apex somewhat
recurvefi, sometimes compound at the base; leaves narrowly spatulate-
linear, rather obtuse, tapering to the base, with ciliolate-scabrous margins,
entire, the lowermost sparingly serrate; scales of the involucre narrowly
oblong, obtuse; rays mostly wanting; achenia pubescent.
Middle Florida, Dr. Chapman!—Stem 2-3 feet high, terete, strict and
slender. Leaves rather rigid; the lowest 3-4 inches long, and about half
an inch wide towards the apex, oblanceolate, with a gradually attenuate
base or winged petiole, and a rather strong mid-nerve, obsoletely triplinerved
above the middle, the veinlets obscure, usually somewhat serrate; the others
entire and gradually reduced in size, linear with a narrowed base; those of
the branches numerous, about an inch long, scarcely a line in width. Racemes
virgate, 3-5 inches long, terminating the numerous branches; the
broadly obconic heads entirely unilateral, large in proportion (as large as in
S. Boottii), crowded, on very short pedicels: the summit of the main stem
often producing a virgate panicle; the lateral racemes short and spreading.
Disk-flowers 10-14: rays none, or very rarely solitary (3-toothed), in the
specimens examined.