plant (the ligule as long as the involucre); the disk-flowers often changing to
purple. Achenia minutely pubescent, or glabrous when old.—We should
have restored the older name of A. salicifolius, were we at all confident that
it belongs to this species: as this is doubtful, we have followed Nees and
De Candolle. Pursh’s plant is said to grow from New York to Virginia.
56. A. elodes: very smooth and glabrous; stem mostly simple, corymbose
or rarely somewhat racemose-paniculate at the summit; leaves linear-
lanceolate, fleshy, acute or acuminate at each end, entire or sparingly ap-
pressed-serrulate, shining, reticulate-veined, the upper surface often minutely
scabrous towards the apex and margins; the uppermost partly clasping by a
more or less narrowed base; scales of the obovoid involucre rather closely
imbricated in 3 or 4 unequal series, linear or spatulate-linear, mucronulate-
acute; the exterior often with recurved-spreading herbaceous tips; the innermost
erect, as long as the disk ; rays large ; achenia glabrous.—A. paludo-
sus, Nutt. gen. 2. p . 155?
/3. leaves varying from narrowly lanceolate to broadly oval-lanceolate, or
the lowermost lanceolate-spatulate.
Wet swamps, mostly in pine barrens, Massachusetts! Long Island! New
Jersey! and Pennsylvania! to Virginia! and North Carolina! Aug.-Sept.
—Stem usually simple, and 1 to 2 feet high, very smooth, mostly purple;
the branches sometimes slightly pubescent. Leaves sparse, 3-5 inches long,
usually from 2-4 lines wide, but varying from half to three-fourths of an inch
wide (when they are commonly shorter in proportion and more or less acuminate
at each end), mostly deep green and shining above, and conspicuously
reticulated with impressed veins, the margins often slightly and sharply
serrate; those of the branches small, spreading. Heads large and showy,
few or rather numerous, in simple or somewhat compound corymbs, or sometimes
paniculate racemes, solitary on the short and rather rigid, sparse and
diverging branchlets. Involucre glabrous or slightly pubescent; the scales
of a rather firm texture; the exterior herbaceous, except the pale broad margins
near the base; the others with oblong-lanceolate herbaceous tips, which
are sometimes erect, but usually more or less spreading or squarrose; the
innermost more membranaceous, often with purple tips. Rays large, numerous,
deep blue or violet; the disk flowers sometimes turning purplish.
Achenia minutely and slightly pubescent when very young, smooth and
glabrous when mature.—This is a common species in the swamps of the
pine barrens of New Jersey, and is found in similar situations as far north as
Massachusetts, and as far south at least as North Carolina. It varies much
in the form of the leaves, which are frequently as narrow as in A. paludosus,
but sometimes as wide as in A. Novi-Belgii. It begins to flower when only
8 or 12 inches high, and perhaps seldom attains more than two feet in
height; while the heads are proportionally large and showy. We are not
sure that it has been described by any author, either in Europe or this country;
but it has probably been confounded with A. praealtus or A. Novi-
Belgii, to both of which its different forms so closely approach as to render
the diagnosis difficult. It can hardly be the A. brumdlis of Nees (which is
described from spontaneous German specimens, supposed to be of American
origin), and is by no means a late-flowering species.
57. A. Novi-Belgii (Linn.) : smooth and glabrous throughout (or the
branches slightly pubescent in lines), often somewhat glaucous ; stem stout;
the branches strict, racemose or somewhat corymbose; leaves rigid or slightly
coriaceous, pale and very smooth, or slightly scabrous towards the margins
of the upper surface, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, somewhat serrate, tapering
to each end, acute; the lower partly clasping by the narrowed base; the
uppermost and those of the branches short, clasping by a broader base, often
entire; involucre (hemispherical) about the length of the disk; the scales
lanceolate, somewhat unequal, rather closely imbricated in about 3 series,
with broadish acute herbaceous tips ; rays numerous, mostly large.—Linn. !
hort. Cliff, p. 108, spec. 2. p. 877; Ait. Kew. (ed. 1) 3. p. 206 ; Pursh,
fl. 2. p. 554; Nees ! Ast. p. 79; D C .! prodr. 5. p. 238, (excl. syn. A;
floribundus, Nutt.) A. Novi-Belgii latifolius, &c. Herm. Lugd. p. 66, t. 69.
A. serotinus, Willd. spec. 3. p. 2049 (partly), fide Nees. A. lasvigatus,
Pursh, fl. 2. p. 553 ?—The following varieties are enumerated by Nees, all
described from garden specimens: Var. a. ampliflorus; the original species,
as characterized above, (branches simply racemose, the large heads somewhat
corymbose; ray ample, &c.) Var. [3. squarrosus: leaves lanceolate,
rather more elongated; branches simply racemose, with the heads somewhat
corymbose; ray broad and dense; scales of the involucre somewhat equal,
the exterior squarrose-spreading, often foliaceous and elongated. (A. junceus,
recurvatus, and adulterinus, of some gardens). Var. y. serus: stem taller;
ray dense, flesh-colored, whitish towards the disk. Var. <5. minor: leaves
lanceolate, attenuate; the branches crowded, dichotomous-corymbose, many-
flowered ; ray shorter and not so dense; scales of the involucre loosely imbricated,
unequal; flowers smaller; stem lower. (A. floribundus, Willd.
spec. 3. p. 2048, ($• enurn. 2. p. 885, Sfc.)—The indigenous plant varies:
1. Heads (ample) solitary or nearly so on short axillary branchlets, often
much shorter than the leaves.—2. Heads (rather large) In clusters or short
crowded racemes at the summit of axillary branches, which are either shorter
or longer than the cauline leaves, racemose along the stem or aggregated and
somewhat corymbose at the summit.—3. Heads (smaller), racemose or racemose
paniculate towards the summit of numerous slender branches, which
are racemose along the stem, the upper fastigiate; scales of the involucre
narrower; ray shorter.
Borders of swamps and moist ground, from near the sources of the Mississippi
(Banks of Spirit Lake, Mr. Nicollet!) to S. Carolina, Elliott! (A.
1 a3vis ? Herb. E ll.!) and Georgia, Miss Clay ! apparently not very common.
Sgpt.-Oct.—Stem usually stout, 1-4 feet high. Leaves thickish;
the lower ones often 5—6 inches long, and about an inch wide, often tapering
from above the middle to the base, with a pretty strong midrib, the margins
scabrous; the primary veins few ; the reticulation of the veinlets rather obscure.
Heads, when not very numerous, frequently an inch in diameter;
including the rather linear and pretty large pale blue rays, but sometimes
reduced to half that size. Exterior scales of the involucre occasionally herbaceous
throughout; the others pale at the base; the short herbaceous tips
also with slight pale or scarious margins. Disk often turning purplish.
Achenia slightly pubescent.—Our plant, which wholly accords with the description
of A. Noyi-Belgii, a. Nees, is doubtless the same with the original
Linnasan species, and with that figured by Hermann. Although extensively
diffused, it appears to be uncommon in this country. It has been cultivated
in Europe for more than a century and a h a lf; and from it several nominal
species have probably been derived.—The “ specimen of an Aster from Dr.
Scouler, gathered on the Columbia, which Prof. Lindley inclines to refer to
A. asper,” {Hoolc. fl. Bor.-Am. 2. p. 10, under A. luxurians,) is either a
variety of A. Novi-Belgii, or belongs to a new species, of which there are
not sufficient materials for description.
58. A. amplus (Lindl.): stem simple, stout; the racemose branches somewhat
corymbose, nearly naked, hairy above, bearing 1-3 large heads; leaves
glabrous, with scabrous margins, slightly serrate or nearly entire ; the radical
ones oval-lanceolate, tapering into a long narrowly-winged petiole, the
lower cauline spatulate-lanceolate, acute, partly clasping; the upper narrowly
oblong-lanceolate, often auriculate-clasping; scales of the involucre
lanceolate, loose, equal, herbaceous; rays large.—Lindl.! in Hook. fl. Bor.-
Am. 2. p. 10, Sfin DC. prodr. 5. p. 236.
VOL. IX .- 1 8