[Illustration: LATE PURPLE ASTER TANSY ASTER]
Late Purple Aster (_Aster patens_) shows its lovely heads in October and November along the edges of post oak woods throughout the state. It is easily recognized by the short, broad, and roughened leaves on the wand-like stems. The illustration given is that of variety _gracilis_ which is abundant in the vicinity of Fort Worth. Many asters are found in the state, but very few make a conspicuous floral display except along the coastal plain and river bottoms.
Tansy Aster. Dagger-Flower (_Machaeranthera tanacetifolia_) has leaves much like those of the spiny-leaved yellow aster, but the purple-flowered heads are much larger and very showy, 1-2 inches broad. The heads are surrounded by bracts with green spreading tips. The inner tubular flowers are yellow but soon turn reddish-brown. It ranges from Nebraska to Mexico and California. This is one of the loveliest flowers on the western plains, blooming from May to October.
Narrow-Leaved Baccharis. Oil Willow (_Baccharis angustifolia_) looks very much like the black willow, to which, however, it bears no relationship. The leaves of baccharis have a resinous texture, and the flowers appear in the late summer and fall. The pollen-bearing flowers are not borne on the same shrub with the seed-bearing flowers. The flowers, all small, inconspicuous, whitish, and tubular, are borne in a narrow head of ovate bracts which soon turn brown.
It is called the oil willow by some of the older residents because it is said to be an indicator of oil, just as the black willow is said to be a good indicator of water. It is also called brittle willow, false willow, and resin willow. It grows in brackish marshes throughout the state and may be found eastward to North Carolina. The soft white plumy bristles on the seed give the shrub the feathery appearance of the Yankee-weed. Along the coast in the southeastern part, the groundsel-tree or pencil-tree (_Baccharis halimifolia_) is a lovely sight in the fall.
[Illustration: LARGE RABBIT TOBACCO SMALL RABBIT TOBACCO]
Large Rabbit Tobacco (_Filago prolifera_) is a low plant less than six inches high with a few short branches at the top of the stem and sometimes a few at the base. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, being borne in woolly, rather flattened heads which are about half an inch broad. It blooms from January to June and ranges from Texas to South Dakota.