belongs to a genus of
"old-fashioned" flowers, which, moreover, is that of the most modern
fashion in flowers. As a garden plant it is not only effective, but one
of that class which will put up with the most offhand treatment;
tenacious of life, neither particular as to soil nor position, constant
in fair and foul weather, and doing duty alike in town or suburban
garden, these qualities go to make it a worthy subject. Whilst it is
nearly related to, and much resembles, the starworts or Michaelmas
daises, it far exceeds in beauty the best of them, with only a third of
their ungainly length of stem.

The flowers are fully two inches across, of a light purple colour; the
disk is somewhat large and of a greenish yellow; the florets of the ray
are numerous, full, narrow, and slightly uneven at their points, giving
the otherwise dense ray a feathery appearance. These large flowers are
produced in bunches of six or ten on each branch, at the height of about
eighteen inches; there are many stems, and each one is well branched,
the species being very floriferous; the leaves are herb-like,
lance-shaped, pointed, amplexicaul, and smooth; root-leaves spathulate.

This plant needs no cultural care; its only requirements are a place in
the garden and some one to appropriate its beaming crop of flowers,
which cannot fail to be serviceable. As a border plant, among suitable
companions, bold clumps are fine, especially when seen by twilight; in
lines, too, it may be profitably used. Propagated by division of the
roots at any time.

Flowering period, June to September.

Stokesia Cyanea.

JASPER-BLUE STOKESIA, _or_ STOKES' ASTER; _Nat. Ord._
COMPOSITAE.

This handsome, hardy, herbaceous perennial was brought from Carolina in
the year 1766. It is the only species known of the genus, and was named
after Jonathan Stokes, M.D., who assisted Withering, the botanist, in
his arrangement of British plants. The order which includes it is a very
extensive one, and it may be useful to add that it belongs to the
sub-order _Carduaceae_, or the Thistle family. The mention of this
relationship may not help our subject much in the estimation of the
reader, but it must be borne in mind that in plant families as well as
others, there are individual members that often contrast rather than
compare with their relatives, and so it is in the Thistle family, for it
embraces the gay Doronicums, silky Gnaphaliums, shining Arnica, and
noble Stobae