Wet pine barrens and swamps, from North Carolina! to Florida! Louisiana
! and Arkansas ! Aug.—Oct,.—Stems 1—2 feet high. Leaves coriaceous,
somewhat erect, 2—4 inches long, 2-3 lines wide, pointed, strongly 1-
nerved, or with 2 obscure lateral nerves; the uppermost often concave.
Heads large (the disk half of an inch in diameter), usually 3 to 8 disposed
in a somewhat racemose manner on short nearly naked peduncles,
sometimes axillary on very short peduncles, forming a kind of spike ; but
the lower peduncles, or branchlets, often elongated, so as to become corymbose,
or branching and paniculate. Exterior scales of the involucre usually
loose and bracteolate, or passing into the bracteate leaves which subtend the
head, almost entirely foliaceous, somewhat ciliate ; the innermost with the
tips only herbaceous, or sometimes colored. Rays (about 24) nearly an inch
long, deep blue. Pappus tawny, rather rigid ; the bristles unequal; the
larger ones gradually thickened upwards so as to appear slightly^ clavate
under a lens, but scarcely more so than in the preceding species. Achenia
glabrous, or slightly pubescent when young, somewhat angled and striate,
slender, scarcely compressed.—This species is, we believe, confined to the
Southern Slates. Mr. Nuttall’s A. paludosus is probably a form of our
A. elodes. What can be the plant from Northern British America mentioned
by Dr. Richardson under this name ?
1 1 .? A . Curtisii r smooth and glabrous; stem (apparently) simple, leafy,
slightly corymbose or racemose at the summit; the branches short, rigid,
bearing single or few heads ; leaves lanceolate, sessile, attenuate-acute, serrate,
with scabrous or somewhat ciliate margins; the lowermost tapering
into a winged petiole ; scales of the hemispherical involucre oblong or slightly
spatulate, unequal, imbricated in about 4 series, coriaceous, with conspicuous
abruptly foliaceous squarrose-reflexed summits; achenia narrow,
glabrous.
On Table Mountain &c. N. Carolina, Mr. M. A . Curtis!—Stem strict,
apparently 2 to 3 feet high, smooth throughout, leafy to the summit, with a
few short spreading flowering branches, which bear single or 3-5 racemose
heads ; the lateral ones on short pedicels. Leaves somewhat membranaceous,
tapering to a very acute point, entirely smooth on both sides, or slightly
scabrous next the margins of the upper surface or near the apex, pale
beneath, with rather prominent reticulated veinlets; all but the uppermost
conspicuously but somewhat irregularly serrate, the base and apex entire;
the lowermost (radical unknown) about 4 inches long and two thirds of an
inch wide, narrowed rather abruptly into a margined or winged petiole,
coarsely serrate ; the upper similar, but narrower and less tapering at the
base; the uppermost closely sessile, often entire; those of the branchlets
minute and bract-like, thickish, obtuse. Heads about as large as those of
A. spectabilis, subglobose. Scales of the involucre numerous, white and coriaceous
below, appressed; the foliaceous summits (oval or lanceolate, often
acute) abruptly squarrose or recurved, sometimes equal in length to the appressed
portion. Rays large, 20 or more, blue or purple. Bristles of the
pappus slender, rather soft, the inner series very obscurely thickened upwards.—
We have but two specimens of this apparently well-marked species,
collected we believe in different localities, neither of which are so perfect as
could be desired. Perhaps it belongs to the Grandiflori, rather than to the
present division.
§ 3. Scales of the involucre imbricated in various degrees, with herbaceous or
foliaceous tips, or the exterior entirely herbaceous: receptacle alveolate:
rays numerous: appendages of the style lanceolate : bristles o f the pappus'
capillary (soft) and nearly uniform, none o f them thickened at the apex:
achenia compressed.—Aster proper.
* Heads (large) corymbose or racemose; scales of the involucre imbricated, in several
series, rigid, with herbaceous or foliaceous summits, somewhat squarrose or spreading
; the innermost usually membranaceous: achenia broad, compressed, pubescent or
hairy.—Amelli.
12. A. integrifolius (Nutt.): stem simple, villous-pubescent, ihe summit
and the simple corymb glandular and viscid; leaves oblong-lanceolate, acute,
entire, 1-nerved, veiny; the radical and lowest cauline tapering into a margined
petiole, almost glabrous; the others clasping, somewhat pubescent or
glandular; heads few (3-5); scales of the involucre loosely imbricated in
2-3 series, lanceolate, acute, glandular, herbaceous, somewhat unequal;
achenia minutely silky-hirsute.—Nutt. ! in trans. Amer. phil. soc. (n. ser.)
7. p. 291.
Rocky Mountains in lat. 42°, growing at a lower elevation than A. andi-
nus or A. glacialis, Nuttall!—Plant 6-12 inches high, stout. Heads nearly
the size of A. Amellus; to which this species more closely approaches than
to any other. Leaves rather coriaceous, with ai strong midrib (not tripli-
nerved); the numerous reticulated veinlets somewhat conspicuous on both
surfaces of the older leaves; the radical 3-5 inches long, including ibe petiole.
Exterior scales of the involucre broadly lanceolate, entirely herbaceous,
tbe margins not membranaceous; the innermost narrower, but similar, membranaceous
at the base. Rays “ bluish-purple, 15-25” (Nutt.), rather large.
Pappus of unequal slightly rigid strongly scabrous bristles. Appendages of
the style linear-lanceolate, hirsute.
13. A. spathulatus (Lindl.): stems low, bearing a few simple racemose
branches; leaves narrowly spatulate, obtuse, entire, somewhat nerved, nearly
glabrous; the uppermost lanceolate, dilated at the base and partly clasping,
often acute; peduncles simple,- nearly naked, tomentose-pubescent; scales
of the involucre linear or oblong-linear, acute, pubescent, rather unequal, in
2-3 series, erect, with foliaceous somewhat spreading summits.—Lindl. ! in
Hook. fl. Bor.-Am. 2. p. 8, $f in DC. prodr. 5. p. 231.
Arctic America, at Bear Lake and Fort Franklin on the Mackenzie River,
Richardson!—Plant 5-10 inches high, slightly pubescent with appressed
hairs. Radical and lower leaves 2 to 3 inches long, 3-4 lines wide, of uniform
appearance on both sides, oflen nearly linear; the lateral nerves somewhat
reticulated. Heads few, about as large as in A. Amellus. Achenia
hairyi compressed.
14. A. adscendens (Lindl.): stems low ascending; the branches simply
racemose or somewhat corymbose; radical and lower leaves oblong-linear or
narrowly spatulate, glabrous, entire, with ciliate-scabrous margins; the cauline
linear-lanceolate, partly clasping; scales of the hemispherical involucre
numerous, closely imbricated, unequal, nearly glabrous; the exterior linear-
oblong, obtuse, the innermost acute ; achenia minutely hairy.—Lindl. I in
Hook. fl. Bor.-Am. 2. p. 8, if in DC. prodr. 5. p. 231.
ß. denudatus: leaves more strongly ciliate-scabrous ; the radical and lowermost
somewhat fringed towards the base; the cauline small.—A. denudatus,
Nutt. 1 in trans. Amer. phil. soc. (n. ser.) 7. p. 292.
y. ciliatifolius : stem not denuded and scapiform, pubescent above ; leaves
more proportionate, distinctly ciliated ; scales of the involucre ciliate, somewhat
acute.—A. denudatus ß. ciliatifolius, Nutt. 1. c.
Banks of the Saskatchawan towards the Rocky Mountains, Drummond !
ß. & y. Arid and dry grassy plains in the Rocky Mountains near Lewis
River, about lat. 42°, Nuttall!—Rhizoma creeping. Stems 8 to 16 inches
high, bearing several racemose or somewhat paniculate-corymbose heads,
which are smaller than in A. Amellus. Leaves rigid, the lowermost 2-4 inches
long, slightly veined when old, tapering into a margined petiole, which is