602 Mr. T. Smith on certain Species of Carditus and Cnicus 



The flowers of the antheriferous capitulum are much larger, 

 and the laciniae more divaricate, the perfect anthers rise beyond 

 the laciniae and embrace the style ; in the female the abortive 

 antherae scarcely appear beyond the tube of the corolla, and, 

 being generally very small, are not seen except upon a close 

 examination : this gives the female capitulum a uniform colour 

 and appearance, which is destroyed in the antheriferous one 

 by the projecting of the antherae, frequently of a different shade 

 of colour from the corolla, and which, even when withered, 

 remain exserted nearly to the tips of the laciniae, producing a 

 ragged and discoloured appearance. 



The stigma of the female is almost always much more de- 

 veloped, and in general somewhat waved ; it is very remarkably 

 so in the female Serratula tincioria. 



In Cnicus arvensis there is another circumstance which distin- 

 guishes the sexes even after flowering, and which is perhaps 

 more striking than any other ; this is produced by the pappus. 

 In the female, the pappus at the time of flowering is shorter than 

 the tube of the corolla, and nearly as long as the scales of the 

 involucrum; after flowering it lengthens very considerably, and, 

 when the seed is ripe, is twice its former length, and entirely 

 conceals the persistent corolla : when the seeds are to be di- 

 spersed, the female plants are white with the large and abundant 

 pappus, which appears projecting beyond the scales of the invo- 

 lucrum before it is discharged by their expansion. 



In the male, the pappus at the time of flowering is nearly of 

 the same length as in the female : it however never increases 

 afterwards, and is concealed after flowering by the withered 

 corolla and antherae : at this period, therefore, the male plants 

 are distinguished by the brown withered capitula, which appear 

 generally to perish without discharging their abortive seeds and 

 useless pappus. 



My 



