Dzscr. A rather slender, sparingly branched herb, pro- 
bably biennial. » Stem three to five feet high, erect or decum- 
bent at the base, angular, densely clothed with white cottony 
wool, as are the underside of the leaves and the peduncles 
of the flower-heads. eaves lanceolate, six to fifteen inches 
long, acute, sinuate lobed or pinnatifid, lobes or segments 
very unequal, and unequally pungently toothed, upper sur- 
face at first cobwebby, at length glabrate, rather dull green ; 
upper leaves sessile, oblong or lanceolate, less toothed and 
lobed. Heads few, terminating the branches, about two 
inches long, on stout, erect, or inclined peduncles. Jnvolucre 
broadly ovoid, three-quarters of an inch to one inch diameter, 
naked at the base, or with afew small, leaf-like bracts ; scales 
ovate, acuminate, with short, suberect, pungent tips, densely 
imbricate, coriaceous, green, with a white streak down the 
back. Florets much exceeding the involucre, very numerous, 
vivid blood-red, outer spreading and incurved. Segments of 
the corolla very narrow-linear, suberect. Style blood-red, 
much exserted, slender; tip narrow, 2-fid. Achene small, 
almost glabrous. Paypus hairs numerous, very unequal, and 
rather rigid, shining, sparingly feathery.—J. D. H. 
Fig. 1, Floret removed from the involucre; 2, base of the pappus :— 
both magnified. 
