The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-11

belong, the Smith tribe of the floral king
dom, and this is the season of the year
W hen it rules supreme, and all the fields
and fence rows, from the top of the
mountain to the level of the sea, are
bright with compositae. Like all large
families, there are different degrees of
excellence in the members. Some have
ccme up from low estate like the chrys-
anthemum and dahlia. and faunt their
cultivated coarseness in true parvenu
STYLE and some from being food for
the gods" have descended to the level
of the swine, whose appetites they ap-
pease.
1t is truly great family with wide in
fuence, commanding respect, if not great
admiration, and yet what would the
glory of the autumn lack If it was no
more.
For on the hill the goldenrod
And aster in the wood,
And yellow sunflower by the brook
In autumn beauty stood.
And goldenrod and aster and yellow sun
flower are all flowers of compositae.
Of the goldenrod, Gray gives forty ma
tive species, while there are besides
many varieties. Every once in awhile
the subject of national flower is dis
cussed, and goldenrod is an especial IA
vorite. However, if one chooses mower
that is indigenous only to the United
States. goldenrod will not be selected,
as it is common in Europe as well as In
Northern Asia, Mexico and Brazil.
In the middle ages the European spe-
cies, virga-aurea, was regarded as cure
for wounds, and much priced for its sup
messed virtues This species is found IN
the northern part OF our own country
and varies much. Of the genus sohdaSo,
there are more than a hundred species,
and it is very generally distributed IN
different parts of the world. Gray SPEAKS
of one species of Soldenrod, soliddSo
Drummondii, as being found in ILLINOIS,
on the rocks opposite ST. Louis. 1t is
from one to three feet high, and the
lower surface of the broad, nearly oval
leaves is "velvety- pubescent. Inc pan
icled racemes are short, and there are
cnly four or five rays. There are So
poany species that it would be useless to
particularize, and all are pretty ana
graceful. so far as the flower In con-
cerned, but have stiff, coarse leaves anu
stems 6
The relationship between the genera OF
cornositae seems closer than in other
Aou,ers and asters rank very close TO
golden rod. o,,
The pretty star flower is very much
more of an American than It's more sor-
geous cousin. There are nearly loo spe-
cies in the Atlantic states alone, ana al
most all of the 200 or more specles are
found somewhere in the United states
The aster begins to blossom early IN the
season and continues until
Along the rivers summer walk
The Withered tufts of aSterS nod,
And trembles on its arid stalk
The boar plume of the goldenrod
And this time comes with the falling OF
the leaves and cold November rains.
There are not many botanists who care
to identify the asters of a neighborhood.
1t seems like very hopeless task, as the
species intermingle so readily, these mix
ed marriages presenting beWllder1ng rec
ords of relationship. The dainty blue ana
white of the wild aster are familiar to
every one and of late years the cultivated
flower is vying with the chrysanthemum
as a POPULAR favorite, and is by many re-
garded as much superior.
Long ago Dioscorides gave the name
chrysanthemum to a bright yellow flower
which grows along the roadsides of
Greece. where it had probably thrived
since the days of burning Sappho," the
name signiyfing golden flower" The
flower which we now know as chrysan-
themum was brought to England from
China and Japan about the year 1854, and
when it was introduced into France sew
eral years later cultivation began in the
modern flower, the original being some
what like our ox-eye daisy. The chrysan-
themum Is without doubt the most ar
tistic Of the compositae. 1T is a coarse
upstart," said the Rev. DR.. Holland, land
1 dislike it very much upon the altar at
ST. Georges, where 1 never voluntarily
permit it to be placed"
1t has been overcultivated, and the mon
strosity which is exhibited is far in
ferior to the aster-lfke flower that used