autumn. The species had been cultivated at Vienna in 

 1805, by Dr. Host, to whom the seed had been sent by M. 

 Marschall of Bieberstein. It is only when the plant grows 

 in perfection that the panicled character of the stem is dis- 

 played. Seems to be hardy. 



Root biennial. Stems six feet high, herbaceous, se- 

 veral from the same rootstock, upright, thick at the lower 

 part, furrowed, pubescent, purplish, full of branches, 

 branches level-topped. Leaves alternate, spreading, ses- 

 sile, stemclasping, lower ones a foot and an half long, 

 upper ones gradually smaller, squarrosely pinnatifid, deep 

 green above and very thinly furred with short transparent 

 hairs, smooth, shining, especially the young and stem ones, 

 underneath glaucous tomentose, with white prominent hairy 

 nerves, lobes 4 or 5 on each side, sinuated, sharp-pointed, 

 in the stem-leaves broadly decurrent towards the base, ulti- 

 mately diminishing towards the lower part, till they have 

 the appearance of the spinous appendages of a half foot 

 long channelled petiole. Flowers in globular heads of about 

 2 inches in diameter. General involucre none, unless you 

 choose to denominate the persistent bristles belonging to the 

 calyxes of the lower florets such. Florets furnished through- 

 out with stamens and pistils. Calyx viscous, inclining to 

 glaucous, surrounded by a partial bristly involucre, 1*2-14- 

 leafletted, imbricate, oblong, leaflets upright, spatulately 

 lanceolate, all long-pointed, glaucous, inclining to brown 

 at the base, ciliated at the top, cilise or fringe feathery; 

 outer ones furred towards the top by thin-set headed hairs, 

 inner ones smooth. Florets tubular, blueish white, smooth; 

 tube cylindrical, the length of the involucre; faux globular; 

 limb blueish; segments linear, two-furrowed, reflected. 

 filaments loose, springing from the bottom of the faux: 

 anther cylindrical, pentagonal, blue, almost colourless after 

 the pollen has been evacuated. Germen reversedly conical, 

 closely and flat-pressedly villous, crowned at the top by a 

 close brown fringe: style after the evacuation of the pollen 

 longer than the stamens: stigma bifid; lobes reflex, the 

 length of the anther, ciliated or fringed at the base. Seed 

 oblong, smooth, with a margined pappus or seed-crown. 

 Receptacle naked, punctured. 



