1 . V. Texana: stem hairy, sparingly branched ; leaves alternate (the lowest
opposite), rhomboid-ovate, acuminate, sparingly serrate, triplinerved,
appressed-pubescent, somewhat scabrous above, abruptly contracted into
long villous petioles ; peduncles solitary or subcorymbose ; Scales of the involucre
villous-canescent, in 1-2 series, with linear foliaceous appendages;
chaff of the nearly flat receptacle membranaceous, ovate, cuspidate; rays 8-
10; achenia appressed-pubescent.
Texas, Drummond !—Root and base of the stem unknown. Leaves 4-5
inches long, 2-3 broad, membranaceous; the lower petioles 2 inches in
length. Appendages of the involucral scales longer than the ovate-oblong
appressed portion; or those of the inner series, when present, shorter. Chaff
scarious, with a short rigid cusp. Squamellse of the pappus small, roundish,
lacerate-nmbriate : awns rather shorter than the achenia, dilated and lacer-
ate-denticulate near the base.—Apparently near V. laxa, DC.
97. HELIANTHUS. Linn.; Schkuhr, handb. t. 258; Less. syn.p. 229.
Helianthus & Harpalium, Cass., DC. excl. § Harpalizia 1
Heads many-flowered; the ray-flowers several or numerous, neutral;
those of the disk perfect. Involucre imbricated in 3 or more series; the
scales with or without foliaceous tips or appendages. Receptacle flat or
convex; the persistent chaff embracing the achenia. Corolla of the disk
commonly 10-nerved, with a short proper tube. Branches of the style hispid,
terminated by a subulate-conical appendage. Achenia 4-sided or mostly
compressed, not winged or margined. Pappus of 2 chaffy scales or awns,
arising from the principal angles of the achenia, and often with 2 or more
smaller intermediate scales or squamellce, very deciduous.—Annual or perennial
(chiefly North American) mostly rough herbs ; with opposite, sometimes
alternate or scattered, commonly triplinerved leaves. Heads solitary
or somewhat corymbose. Rays yellow ; the corolla of the disk yellow, or
sometimes dark-purple at the summit.—Sunflower.
The corolla of the disk in Helianthus is generally 10-nerved, the 5 additional or
secondary nerves corresponding with the axis of the laeiniae: in H. mollis there are
commonly 10 others, alternating with the former, but they seldom extend to thé la-
ciniae. H. Radula, H. heterophyllus, & H. angustifolius, however, present the ordinary
venation of Composites (viz. 5 nerves corresponding with the sinuses) ; and
this is occasionally thé case in H. longifolius. In H. Nuttallii, we observe a secondary
or median nerve in two of the laeiniae only.
* Annual: heads usually large: rays numerous: receptacle fla t: involucre spreading:
dish brovmish-purple: leaves ovate or cordate, mosby alternate, triplinerved.—Annui.
S . annuus, the common Sunflower, is very generally cultivated, but is no-where
naturalized in this country.
1. H. argpphyllus: densely lanate; leaves alternate, mostly entire: the
lower cordate; the upper ovate, acute, on short petioles ; heads axillary and
terminal, on short peduncles; scales of involucre ovate, acuminate, woolly;
achenia compressed, slightly hairy at the summit; pappus of 2 very deciduous
chaffy awns.
Texas, Drummond !—Apparently a large plant, but the base of the stem
unknown, clothed with a very white wool, which on the stem is loose and
flocculent, on the leaves appressed. Lowest leaves (radical ?) 6-8 inches in
diameter, obscurely serrate, on long petioles; the upper 2-3 inches long; the
uppermost bearing pretty large heads in their axils, on peduncles which are
seldom longer than the leaves. Rays about 20. Inner scales of the involucre
lanceolate, all finely acuminate. Chafl of the receptacle 3-cleft at the
apex.
2. H. lenticularis (Dougl.): stfem hispid, branching, stout; leaves hispid-
scabrous, alternate, ovate, serrate, obtuse at the base, petioled ; the lower often
cordate, the uppermost often lanceolate and entire ; peduncles terminal,
sometimes paniculate; heads very large; scales of the involucre oval or
ovate, ciliate, abruptly and conspicuously acuminate; achenia appressed-
pubescent, often as long as the corolla of the disk ; the latter villous at the
base; pappus of 2 lanceolate chaffy awns.—Dougl. in bot. reg. t. 1265 ;
Hook.! fl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 313 ; DC. ! prodr. 5. p. 586; Nutt.! in trans.
Amer. phil. soc. 1. c. H. tubseformis, Nutt. gen. 2. p. 177 / H. erythrocar-
pus, Bartl. ind. sein. hort. Gcett. 1839 ? (Linnaa, suppl. 14. p. 125.)
/3. corolla of the disk sparsely villous at the base (lower leaves sometimes
opposite, and the scales of the involucre narrower).—H. multiflorus, HooJc. !
1. c, partly.
Interior of Oregon, Douglas, Nuttall ! and from the Platte to Louisiana!
Arkansas! and Texas! 0. Saskatchewan, Drummond! Upper Missouri,
Mr. Nicollet! July-Sept.—A large plant, resembling H. annuus, with a
rough hispid (often spotted) stem ; the involucre 1-2 inches broad; the rays
sometimes 2 inches long and 6—10 lines wide. The stem exudes a resin
when wounded. The Indians employ the seeds for food.
3. H. petiolaris (Nutt.): stem strigose or hispid, branching; leaves scabrous,
alternate (the lower not unfrequently opposite), ovate-lanceolate or
ovate, entire or nearly so, on very long petioles ; peduncles terminal, naked,
bearing solitary (large) heads ; scales of the involucre lanceolate, acute or
acuminate; corolla of the disk minutely pubescent or canescent at the base ;
achenia villous ; pappus of 2 chaffy awns.—Nutt.! in jour. acad. Philad. 2.
p . 115 ; Sweet, Brit. fl. gard. (ser. 2) t. 75 ; DC.! prodr. 5. p. 586. H.
patens, Lehm.! ind. sem. Hamb. 1821, p. 8? H; integrifolius, Nutt, in
trans. Amer. phil. soc. (n. ser.) 7.p. 366.
Upper Missouri, Nuttall! Mr. Nicollet! and Arkansas! in arid places.
Aug.—Stem erect, 1-3 feet high. Heads, including the (12- 20) large rays,
3-4 inches broad. Scales of thé involucre narrowly or broadly lanceolate,
with a conspicuous acumination, or merely acute. Leaves mostly acute at
the base.
4. H. cucumerifolius : hispid-scabrous ; stem branching ; leaves alternate,
or the lower opposite, all cordate, acute or acuminate, coarsely serrate-toothed,
on slender petioles; peduncles terminal, naked, bearing a single, or 2-4
clustered (sessile) small heads ; scales of the involucre narrowly linear-lanceolate,
attenuate-acuminate; corolla of the disk glabrous at the base; achenia
hairy ; pappus of 2 minutely pubescent small chaffy awns.
Texas, Drummond! July-Sept.—Lower part of the stern unknown ; but
apparently a small species; the branches spotted, terminating in a slender
peduncle 4 to 10 inches long. Leaves 1-3 inches long, dejtoid-cordale, an-
gulate-toothed, both sides very scabrous. Heads half to two-thirds of an
inch in diameter, often in a cluster of 2-4 at the apex of the peduncle.
Scales of the involucre lax. Rays about 15. Chaff of the receptacle (or
middle lobe) produced into a slender acumination. Achenia oblong, clothed
with appressed villous hairs.