Saussurea.] xxv. composira. (J. D. Hooker.) ` ` 375. 
Stem 4-8 ft., sometimes as thick as the thumb below, grooved, glabrous pubescent 
or cottony. Leaves 2-18 in. long, white or buff beneath, terminal lobe sometimes 10 
in. broad. Heads extremely variable, sessile or peduncled, scattered or fascicled ; 
invol. bracts glabrous or cottony, all narrow or the outer broad and obtuse, erect or 
recurved, often tipped and margined with purple ; corolla 4-4 in., tube rather longer 
than the limb; anther-tails subulate, nearly entire. Achenes 4-4 in., very variable in 
breadth, always 4-5, 4-angled with a terminal entire or toothed cup, black, perfeetly 
smooth or tubercled on the angles or all over, or covered with broad adnate scales; 
pappus equalling the corolla, white. 
Van. nivea; heads smaller subglobose clustered subsessile or shortly peduneled, 
invol. bracts shortly ovate obtuse hoary, corolla and pappus } in., achenes variable as 
in the type. H deltoidea, var. polycephala, Clarke Comp. Ind. 236. Aplotaxis nivea, 
DC. Prodr. vi. 541. Cnicus niveus, Wall. Cat, 2898. Synanthera, Wall. Cat. 1135.— 
Nipal, Sikkim, and the Khasia mts., alt. 4-6000 ft. ; Martaban, alt. 6-7000 ft., Kurz. 
- ]t is difficult to believe that this is a variety of S. deltoidea, but the intermediate 
forms are too numerous to render it doubtful. No other Indian species is so variable 
in the involucre and achenes. 
.. ? Van. peguensis ; leaves pubescent or eobwebby above, heads shortly pedicelled sub- 
racemose, invol. bracts linear-lanceolate acute erect outer woolly inner villous, achenes 
oblong cylindric striate smooth. S. peguensis, Clarke Comp. Ind. 235.—Karen hills, 
Birma, Riley—I know nothing of this plant, which Clarke says is perhaps a variety 
of the Khasian form (var. nivea) of S. deltoidea. If the description of the achenes is 
correct, it must be different, for in all the varieties in A. deltoidea the 4-5-angled 
shape of the achene is constant. 
33. S. Jacea, Clarke Comp. Ind. 223; stem 1-4 ft. simple below branched 
above, leaves uniform, sessile 1-amplexicaul ovate or oblong obtuse or acute quite 
entire scaberulous on both surfaces, heads 3-5 in. diam. solitary and terminating 
the branches or in terminal corymbs, invol. bracts few rigid broad outer 
ovate obtuse or acute inner lanceolate, receptacle narrow bristles flattened ex- 
ceeding the involucre, achenes unripe narrow smooth, pappus double hairs all 
feathery. Aplotaxis Jacea, Klotzsch in Reise Pr. Wald. Bot. 79, t. 79. 
Kasmum, KvxaAwvn, and WESTERN TIBET, alt. 915,000 ft., Falconer, Thomson. 
Stein rigid, puberulous, terete, not grooved, and branches very leafy. Leaves 3-4 
by 11-23 in., rigid, base usually rounded. Heads on striet rather slender peduncles, 
invol. bracts appressed, hard, margins purple ; receptacle very narrow ; bristles curved, 
gradually narrowed from the flattened base, rigid ; corolla 2 10. : anther-tails subulate, 
entire. -Achenes (unripe) 4 in. long, smooth, shining, ribs slender, top truneate; pappus 
more than 4 in., brown. 
24. S. denticulata, Wall. Cat. 2917; stem simple below erect stout 
leafy, leaves uniform sessile oblong or oblong-lanceolate acute or acuminate 
finely toothed cottony or glabrous beneath, heads broad solitary and terminal or 
terminating branches on long peduncles, invol. bracts glabrous rigid obtuse outer 
ovate inner linear-oblong margins scarious lacerate purple, receptacular bristles 
flattened exceeding the involucre, achenes compressed smooth many-ribbed, 
pappus double, hairs all feathery. Clarke Comp. Ind. 234. Aplotaxis denten: 
lata, DC. Prodr. vi. 539. A. fastuosa, Dene in Jacquem. Voy. Bot. 97, t. 105. 
CENTRAL and Eastern HIMALAYA ; from Garwhal to Sikkim, alt. 7-11,000 ft. 
Stem 1-3 ft., glabrous or cottony, simple and 1-headed or branched above, each 
branch with a head. Leaves 3-9 by 1-23 in., thinly coriaceous, nerves very numerous. 
and slender. Heads usually subtended by a small leaf; peduncle sometimes 6 in., very 
stout and stiff; receptacle broader than in S. Jacea ; bristles similar; corolla $ in.; 
anther-tails short, subulate, perfectly entire. Achenes 5 in., narrowly obovoid, strongly 
many -ribbed, pale, shining, tip oblique rather contracted ` pappus A in., pale brown. 
—-The inner invol. bracts are almost appendaged by the broad scarious margins ; the 
quite entire short anther-tails are peculiar. i ern 1 
