Tas. 4803. 
3 SENECIO pracox. 
Karly-flowering Tree Groundsel. 
Nat. Ord. Composit SENECIONIDE®.—SYNGENESIA SUPERFLUA. 
Gen. Char. Capitulum homogamum, discoideum, aut heterogamum, fl. radii 
ligulatis foemineis. Jnvolucri uniserialis nunc nudi nunc squamellis accessoriis 
calyculati:sguame seepius apice sphacelate, margine subscariose, dorso frequenter 
binervate. Receptaculum epaleaceum nudum alveolatumve. Styli fl. herm. trun- 
cati, apiceque solo penicillati! Achenium erostre, exalatum, teretiusculum aut sul 3 
cato-angulatum. Pappus pilosus, pluriserialis, caducus, setis rectis subzequalibus 
tenuissimis vix scabris.—Herbe aut frutices innumeri polymorphi. Species per 
totum orbem terrarum divulgate, sed eedem in pluribus regionibus vir occurrentes. 
Folia alterna, in 2 tantum (dubiis) opposita. Capitula solitaria, corymbosa aut 
- paniculata. Cor. disci fere semper lutea, rarissime purpurea, nunquam nisi culte 
albe ! . Ligule etiam flava, rarius purpurascentes aut albi. De Cand. — 
SENECIO precoa ; glaber, caule fruticoso carnoso ramoso tereti, foliis p 
post anthesin plerisque nascentibus cordato-acuminatis subhastatis 
batis carnoso-membranaceis lobis acutissimis, corymbis ramosis, pec 
elongatis parce bracteolatis, involucro cylindraceo 8-10-phyllo 
teato, ligulis 5-6 patulis, disci circiter 15, achenio glabro. 
Senectro precox. De Cand. Prodr. v. 3. p. 431. , 
Crnerarta precox. Cav. Ic. v. 3. p. 23. t. 244. Willd. Sp. Pi. v. 3. p. 
Spreng. Syst. Veget. v. 3. p. 546. De Cand. Hort. Genev.t.7. 
- 
Nearly 600 species of Senecio were described by De Can 0 
in the volume of his ‘Prodromus’ published in 1837. ee 
have been discovered since, and, if all were as well marked as 
the species now before us, the study of them would not be at- 
tended with the difficulty which is known to be the case. Nor. 
is this devoid of beauty. It constitutes a large shrub, with thick, 
succulent, woody stem, and terete branches, and attains a height 
of five or six fect even in our greenhouses ; more, probably, in its 
native country. The large corymbs of flowers are produced in 
the early spring at the apices of the branches, and while the fo- 
liage is young ; thence the specific name of precow. o 
Derscr. Shrub with straggling terete branches, about as thi 
| SEPTEMBER Ist, 1854. 
