or three lines. Scales of the involucre rather loose and spreading when old.
Rays apparently blue or purple. Achenia slightly pubescent.
46. A. dumosus (Linn.): stem glabrous or slightly scabrous-pubescent,
racemosely branched or decompound ; the heads solitary at the extremity of
the spreading branchlets, or rarely somewhat racemed ; leaves linear, crowded,
glabrous, with scabrous margins, sessile ; the lower cauline ones linear-
lanceolate, often remotely serrate with small and sharp appressed teeth;
those of the branchlets small, mucronulate; scales of the involucre linear-
spatulate, obtuse (or sometimes abruptly and slightly mucronulate), closely
imbricated in 4-6 series, with short herbaceous tips.
a. verus: paniculate-racemose; the branchlets clothed with numerous
linear-oblong and obtuse (obscurely mucronulate) small and spreading leaves;
the upper cauline leaves frequently obtuse.—A. dumosus, Linn.! hort. Cliff.,
<V spec. 2. p. 873 (excl. syn. Gronov..?); Ait. Kew. {ed. 1) 3. p. 202; Bigel.
fi. Lost. ed. 2. p. 311; Boott! in herb. Hook. A. Americanus multiflorus,
&c., Pluk. aim. t. 78, ƒ. 6. A. fragilis, L in d l.! in herb. Hook. Sfc. partly,
(4' bot. reg. t. 1537?) A. sparsiflorus, Nutt. ! gen. 2. p. 155, not Of Michx.
ft. coridifolius: racemose-compound or decompound; the slender and
elongated diffuse branches and branchlets clothed with crowded, depauperate
and bract-like, spreading or reflexed, rather obtuse, linear leaves ; the lower
cauline leaves linear, elongated, mostly entire.—A. coridifolius, Mickx. ! jl.
2. p. 112; Willd. spec. 3. p. 2028; Pursh,, jl. 2. p. 547; Nees, Ast. p.
105; L in d l.! bot. reg. t. 1487, f in herb. Hook. 8fc.; DC.! prodr. 5. p.
241. A. foliolosus, Ell. ! sk. 2. p. 345, probably not of Ait. A. foliolosus
(!• coridifolius, Nutt.! gen. 2. p. 155. A. sparsiflorus, Willd. enum. partly,
ex Nees.
y. subuleefolius : diffusely compound ; leaves of the branches and branch-
lets rather subulate-linear, erect or slightly spreading; otherwise as in f3.
<5. gracilentus : stem slender, rather sparingly branched ; leaves scattered
on the branchlets, very small, acute or obtuse; all usually entire.
e. strictior: stem sparingly paniculate or racemose-compound; leaves
usually more or less acute; the lower ones often slightly serrate; those of
the short branchlets rather numerous, scarcely spreading; otherwise nearly
as in a.—A. fragilis, Lin d l.! in herb. Torr. fyc., partly.
f. subracemosus: stem racemose-compound; the heads often somewhat
racemed ; leaves mostly acute, the cauline ones frequently remotely serrulate
; those of the branches more scattered, slender, and proportional, acute ;
scales of the involucre rather narrower, often slightly acute.—A.-dumosus,
Nees, Ast. p. 105, ex descr. A. foliolosus, Ait. Kew. {ed. 1) 3. p. 202 ?
excl. syn. Dill. ?
Dry or moist shady soil throughout the United States: a. Massachusetts !
to Alabama! ji. Throughout the Southern States! (mostly in pine woods.)
y. Texas, Drummond! Western Louisiana, Dr. Leavenworth! d. Alabama,
Dr. Gates! also in Georgia and Florida! e. Vermont! and Michigan! to
New Jersey! &e., usually in moist soil- f. Northern and Middle States !
Aug.-Oct.—Stems 1-3 feet high. Lower leaves 2-3 inches long, 2-5 lines
wide ; those of the branches and branchlets reduced frequently to 2-3 lines
in length, slightly rigid, with minutely ciliolate-scabrous margins. Heads
usually about 4 lines in diameter, scattered : scales of the regularly imbricated
involucre obtuse ; the inner ones often mucronulate, about the length
of the disk, slightly ciliate; the exterior successively shorter. Rays rather
short (20-30), pale purple, occasionally almost white. Achenia minutely
and sparsely pubescent under a lens.—The plants which we have here
brought together (excepting the last enumerated variety, if such it be, which
makes an approach to the following species,) accord in their inflorescence,
achenia, scales of the involucre, &e.; while the foliage, in the vast number
of specimens before us, presents almost every imaginable gradation between
the extreme forms. It is not unlikely that we have united two or more species
; but, as we have sought in vain for any available distinctions, we are
compelled to arrange the principal forms as varieties. The effects of cultivation,
so far as our observation extends, appear to confirm the correctness ol
this view. Specimens of the.forin we have assumed as the type of the species
have been compared with the Linnsean and Banksian herbaria by Dr.
Boott, who considers them identical with the A. dumosus of Linnseus.
47. A . Tradescanti (Linn.): stem slender, often somewhat pubescent in
lines, much branched ; the (small) heads numerous, usually densely racemose
on the erect-spreading or at length divergent virgate branches, often
unilateral; leaves sessile, glabrous, with scabrous margins; the cauline ones
lanceolate-linear, elongated, mucronate-acute or acuminate, remotely serrate
in the middle with fine and sharp teeth; the upper and those of the branches
successively shorter and usually entire, mucronulate; those of the branchlets
oblong-linear, small; scales of the involucre narrowly linear, acute or acutish,
imbricated in 3 or 4 series, appressed ; the innermost rather shorter than the
disk.—L in n . hort. C liff, p- 408, hort. Ups. p . 262, Sf spec. 2. p . 876 ; M ic h x .!
fl. 2. p . 115; P u r sh ! j l . 2. p.556; E ll. sk . 2. p . 358; Nees, A s t. p . 103;
L in d l . ! in herb. Torr. (not in herb. Hook.) ; D C . prodr. 5. p- 241. A.
Virginianus ramosissimus serotinus, parvis floribus albis, Moris, hist. 3. p .
121. A. vimineus, Lam., diet. 1. p . 306. A. recurvatus, P u rsh , j l . 2. p .
556 1 N u tt. gen. 2. p . 158 ? .
p. fragilis*: cauline leaves, except the lowermost, minutely appressed-
serrulate or entire, usually shorter ; heads more scattered on the branchlets.
—A. fragilis, W illd . spec. 3. p . 2051; Nees. A s t , p - 102 ;, B o o tt! mss. in
herb. H o o k .; not of L in d l., D C . Sfc. A. multiflorus, N u t t . ! gen. 2. p . 155,
(excl. syn.) fide herb. A. tenuifolius, E ll. ! sk . 2. p . 347, not of L in n .
Fields and along rivulets, in dry or rather moist soil, Massachusetts . to
Ohio ! Kentucky ! and Louisiana! not uncommon. Aug.—Oct. Stem 2—4
feet‘high, bushy ; the branches very numerous, slender, racemosely arranged
along the stem, or rarely somewhat corymbose or paniculate, at first often
erect, but at length divergent or even divaricate, bearing very numerous
heads on short pedicels, forming slender strict racemes, which ^ decrease
gradually in size upwards; in var. p. the racemes often more irregular,
looser, and more paniculate. Lower cauline leaves 3 to 4 or 5 inches long,
3—4 lines wide, acute at each end, more or less evidently serrate with 4—8
sharp scattered teeth on each margin, which when rather large are somewhat
spreading, but when minute are closely appressed; those of the branches
and branchlets successively reduced in size. Heads smaller than in A.
dumosus, about as large as is ordinary in the following species. Scales of
the involucre fewer and narrower than in the former. Rays small, pale
purple or almost white ; the disk often turning purplish. Achenia- closely
and minutely pubescent.—WRile this species somewhat approaches narrow-
leaved forms of the following; some states of var. /3. having fewer, and consequently
larger and more scattered heads, considerably resemble forms of A.
dumosus, particularly the doubtful var. subracemosus, which should perhaps
be referred to the present species.—A very different plant, with much larger
heads, is frequently cultivated in the European gardens under the name of
A. Tradescanti.
48. A . miser (Linn. ? Ait.): stem mostly pubescent or hairy (often in
lines), racemosely branched or compound; the numerous heads racemose
along the spreading or divaricate branches; leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate,
sessile, attenuate or acuminate at each end, sharply serrate in the
middle; the radical ones spatulate-lanceolate or oval, tapering into a petiole;
those of the branches and branchlets successively smaller, and often entire;
scales of the involucre linear, imbricated in 3 or 4 series (the exterior much
von. II.-17