recurved teeth; the proper tube none; the stamens therefore inserted into the
very base of the corolla. Achenia of the ray 3-angled, hairy, abortive; of
the disk compressed, glabrous or ciliate, with a wing-like margin on one or
both sides, which is more or less produced into a tooth at the summit; the
areola at the base somewhat lateral.—Perennial usually branching strigose-
scabrous herbs (natives of North America, chiefly of the region between the
Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains); the striate-sulcale stems or branches
naked above, and terminated by single showy heads. Leaves alternate, pin-
nately parted or divided; the divisions narrow, sometimes again pinnatifid.
Rays spreading or drooping, yellow, sometimes partly or entirely orange-
brown. Disk cylindrical^ exhaling a fragrant anisate odor when bruised, the
apex of the chaff canescent; the corolla, anthers, and branches of the style
fuscous.
De Candolle, who has by mistake given the year 1829, instead of 1819, as the date
of Raiinesque’s memoir (which is however elsewhere correctly _ cited), has thence
adopted Cassini’s name of Obeliscaria, doubtless upon the supposition of its priority.
Cassini passed by Rafmesque’s name, because, as he states, he could not ascertain
what plant that author had in view: the character is certainly not altogether correct;
but Rafinesque mentioned Rudbeckia pinnata as the type of his genus. We feel
obliged, therefore, to follow Lessing, and retain the name of Lepachys for this genus;'
which, although well marked in habit and character, must be divided into as
many sections or subgenera as there are species. L. pinnata approaches nearest to
the original Rudbeckia, viz: R. laciniata.
§ 1 . Achenia quadrangular-compressed; the inner margin very obscurely
winged, the summit obsoletely and obtusely 2-toothed, naked: appendages
of the. style lanceolate, acute, barbellate-hispid.—Obeliscaria, Cass. (Le-
pachys, Raf.)
1. L . pinnata: scabrous and pubescent with minute strigose hairs; leaves
pinnately divided ; the divisions 3-7, lanceolate, acute or acuminate at each
end, sparingly serrate-toothed or entire; the uppermost undivided ; disk oval-
oblong, much shorter than the rays.—L. pinnatifida & angusti folia, Raf. !
1. c. Rudbeckia pinnata, Vent.! hort. Cels. t. 71; Michx. ! jl. 2. p. 144 ;
Smith, exot. bot. 1. t. 38; Rot. mag. t. 2310; Willd.l enum. 2. p. 921;
Pursh! jl. 2. p. 576. R. digitata, Willd.! spec. 3. p. 2247, exel, syn.
Moris. Sr Ait. R. tomentosa, E ll.! sk. 2. p. 453, excl. syn. R. odorata &
cinerea, of the gardens. Obeliscaria pinnata, Cass, in diet, sci. nat.. 46. p.
401; DC.', prodr. 5. p. 558.
j)iy prairies and plains, from Western New York {Dr. Sartwell.) and
Pennsylvania (Muhlenberg!) Iowa! and Michigan! and throughout the
Western States to Louisiana! the western part of Georgia (Baldwin! E lliott
!) Alabama (Mr. Buckley!) and Middle Florida, Dr. Chapmang June-
gept.—Plant 3-4 feet high. Diyisions of the leaves varying from oblong-
lanceolate and coarsely toothed, to narrowly lanceolate-linear and entire; the
terminal & superior divisions largest, often confluent. Rays bright yellow,
14 to 2J inches long, varying from 3 or 4 to 8 or 9 lines in breadth. Chaff
3-nerved; the lateral nerves'colored. Achenia when young exhibiting a
narrow indistinct wing on each margin, which is slightly produced beyond
the summit, so that the achenium is obscurely 2-toothed.
§ 2. Achenia much compressed; the inner margin evidently winged and
slightly ciliate; the summit somewhat 1-2-toothed, and crowned with an obscure
lacerate frin g e : branches of the style flattish, terminated by a very
short truncate or obscurely conical barbellate appendage.—R a t ib id a , Raf.,
Don. (Obeliscaria § Ratibida & Monodonta, DC.)
2. L. columnaris: strigose-scabrous, mostly branched from the base, radical
(primordial) leaves undivided, spatulate-lanceolaie; the cauline pinnately
parted, the upper sessile; segments liriear-lanceolate or oblong, rigid, mucro-
nulate, entire, rarely somewhat lobed; disk columnar, in fruit longer than
the 5-8 oblong or obovate-oval recurved yellow rays.—Rudbeckia columnaris,
Pursh! Jl. 2. p. 575 ; Bot. mag. t. 1601; Nutt.! gen. 2. p. 178;
Hook.! Jl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 311. R- colummfera, Nutt, m Fras. cat. Ratibida
sulcata, Raf. in jour. phys. 1. c. R. columnaris, Don, in B nt.Jl. gard.
ser. 2. no. 361. Obeliscaria columnaris, DC.! prodr. 5. p. 559. 1
p. pulcherrima (Don): rays wholly or in part brown-red.—Varies, like
var. a. with the.segments somewhat oblong or narrowly linear-lanceolate,
either entire (Don, in Brit. Jl. gard. 1. c. t. 361); or the narrowly linear divisions
of the leaves again irregularly pinnatifid, the rays also yellow at the
apex (Obeliscaria pulcherrima, D C .! 1. c .); or the rays entirely brown-red,
with the columnar disk variable in length (Rudbeckia Tagetes, James! in
Lon Vs exped. 2. p. 68. Obeliscaria Tagetes, DC. 1. c.), occasionally sub-
globose, the peduncles shorter, R. globosa, Nutt.! in jour. acad. Philad. 7.
p . 19. R. columnaris, Torf.! in ann. lyc. New York, 2. p. 215.
Plains of the Upper Missouri, Bradbury! Nuttall! also between the Missouri
and Mississippi, and on St. Peter’s. River, Mr. Nicollet! to Saskatch-
awan, Drummond ! extending to the Rocky Mountains, Douglas! P. With
the preceding, Nuttall, Mr. Nicollet! Upper Arkansas, Dr. James! to
Texas,* Drummond! and Berlandier! July-Aug.—Plant 10 inches to 2
feet high. Leaves crowded or somewhat distant; the segments variable: the
rays an inch long, and sometimes nearly as broad. Chaff with woolly tips
and mostly ciliate on the margins, near which is an oblong purple spot.
Wing of the achenia (anterior) terminated by a short acute membranaceous
tooth, which is sometimes obsolete ; the exterior- margin obscurely if at all
winged, but sometimes very slightly toothed at the summit.—The specimens
collected in Mr. Nicollet’s expedition entirely justify the union of the varieties
with red-brown or particolored rays to the yellow R. columnaris. ■ Both
forms vary with the disk an inch or more in length, and in starved specimens
reduced to half, or even one-third of an inch, when it is nearly globose. The
specimens of Dr. James belong to a dwarf, much branched and leafy plant,
§ 3. Achenia much compressed, 2-winged and conspicuously 2-toothed or
2-awried (the summit and the teeth obscurely bearded); the wings strongly
fimbriate-ciliate: branches of the style terminated by a lanceolate acute
barbellate-hispid appendage.—L ophocha:na.
3. L. peduncularis: stem simple or branching near the base, leafy and
hirsute below; leaves hirsute or strigose, bipinnately parted; the ultimate
segments short, obtuse; peduncles naked, very long; disk columnar, twice
or thrice the length of the rays ; chaff sparsely ciliate, slightly bearded at the
summit. .
Texas Drummond!—Root fusiform. The leafy portion of the stem 6-8
inches; the naked peduncle 12-16 inches in length. Radical leaves unequally'pinnately
divided; the divisions numerous, qblong or cuneiform, incised
or pinnatifid ; the upper leaves regularly pinnatifid, with narrow segments.
Disk an inch and a half or more in length, cylindrical. Exterior