Mr. C. C. Babington on the British species 0/ Arctium. 377 



subulate^ inner row equalling the others and gradually subulate, 

 subcylindrical upper part of the florets equalling the lower 

 part. 



Stem and petioles thickly clothed with short jointed hairs 

 which shrink into a coarse mealiness. Stem 3 feet high. Leaves 

 large, ovate, lowermost cordate-ovate. The central stem erect, 

 and the branches, ending in irregular racemes of heads. Pedun- 

 cles rather long, those of the lower heads the longest. Heads 

 as large as those of A. tomentosum, much webbed when young 

 but losing much of the web (as is usually the case with the 

 other webbed species) as they advance towards fruit, ultimately 

 appearing to be nearly naked. Phyllaries green, each with a 

 purple-yellow hook ; inner row narrowing upwards but rather 

 membranous, purple at the end. Florets very nearly cylindrical 

 in the enlarged part, persistent but not closing the large space 

 between the nearly upright inner phyllaries. Fruit dark brown, 

 very rugose and with a few paler spots towards the top. 



I am unable to place this plant satisfactorily under any of the 

 published species, and think that it is distinct from them. It 

 differs from A, tomentosum by its subracemose heads with shorter 

 stalks of which the lower are the longest, heads hemispherical 

 and open in fruit, inner phyllaries equalling the others and not 

 widened upwards, upper part of the florets not inflated nor 

 broadest at the base : from A, majus by its subracemose much 

 webbed heads, inner phyllaries equalling the others, upper part 

 equalling the lower part of the florets : from A. intermedium by 

 its hemispherical open heads of fruit upon rather long stalks 

 and the inner phyllaries equalling the others : from A. minus by 

 its heads being twice as large, hemispherical and on longish 

 stalks, and the phyllaries equalling the florets. 



It is more pubescent than either of the others from having 

 much more numerous and longer jointed hairs upon its stem 

 and leaf-stalks. 



The plant is probably not uncommon. I find it in several 

 places in Cambridgeshire, am indebted to Mr. Kirk for speci- 

 mens found by him at Fillingley and Kenilworth in Warwick- 

 shire, to the Eev. W. W. Newbould for some gathered by him 

 at Ecclesall near Sheffield, and observed it myself in the valley of 

 Llanberis in North Wales in August 1855. 



Flowering in August. 



