A perennial leafy herb, glabrous or very nearly so, with triangular or hastate, alternate leaves, the lower petioled, the upper sessile, and several or numerous, corymbose or corymbose-paniculate, discoid heads of white or pinkish flowers. Involucre nearly cylindric, its principal bracts 12-15, linear, acute, usually with some subulate outer ones. Receptacle flat, naked. Flowers perfect; corolla 5-lobed. Style-branches not appendaged. Pappus of very numerous white soft capillary bristles. [Greek, perhaps signifying a fragrant composite.]

A monotypic genus of eastern North America.

1. Synosma Suaveolens (L.) Raf. Sweet-Scented Indian Plantain

Fig. 4609

Cacalia suaveolens L. Sp. Pl. 835. 1753.

Senecio suaveolens Ell. Bot. S. C. & Ga. 2: 328. 1821-24.

Synosma suaveolens Raf.; Loud. Gard. Mag. 8: 247. 1832.

Glabrous or very nearly so throughout; stem striate, 3°-5° high, leafy to the inflorescence. Leaves triangular-lanceolate or hastate, sharply and irregularly serrate, acuminate, 4'-10' long, 2'-6' wide at the base, the auricles sometimes with 1 or 2 lobes on the lower side; petioles margined, or those of the basal leaves naked and slender; uppermost leaves sometimes merely lanceolate and sessile; heads 2"-3" broad in a usually large and compound corymb; involucre 4"-6" high, its principal bracts linear, acute; heads 20-30-flowered.

In woods, Rhode Island to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, Minnesota, Florida, West Virginia and Kentucky. Called also wild caraway. Aug.-Oct.