FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM BOTANY, VOL. III. 



treatment of gonorrhoea, and as an astringent in bowel complaints of 

 children. Of this use Cuevas says:* "In infantile diarrhoea give of a 



maceration of the leaves in cold water a teaspoonful every two hours." 

 i 



SONCHUS L. Sp. PL, 793. 



Heads homogamous; flowers perfect, fertile, ligulate, ligules 5 

 toothed at the truncate apex. Involucre ovoid or campanulate, 

 becoming thickened and somewhat conic at the base when old, its 

 bracts thin, herbaceous, imbricated in several series, outer gradually 

 shorter. Receptacle plane, naked. Achene compressed, rounded- 

 truncate, not beaked at the summit, ribbed ; pappus of copious soft 

 capillary bristles. Annual or perennial succulent herbs with bitter, 

 milky juice. 



Sonchus oleraceus L. Sp. PL, 794. 



A glabrous, erect annual with subangled, striate stem and branches 

 and alternate runcinately pinnatifid or simple leaves, the segments 

 mucronate-dentate, lower leaves petioled, upper clasping by an 

 auricled or sagittate base. Inflorescence a corymbose panicle of few 

 to several heads; peduncles striate. Heads 15 mm. high, about 2 cm. 

 broad, many flowered. Involucre campanulate, sometimes cottony at 

 base, bracts linear, subacute, glabrous, the outer loose and spreading. 



Corolla light yellow, ligule ob- 

 long. Achene brown, .8x2.9 

 mm., narrowly obovate; in sec- 

 tion biconvex; 8 ribbed, the 

 dorsal and ventral and lateral 

 pairs of ribs consisting of a rugose 

 ridge, the 4 intermediate with 

 these consisting of 2 smaller 

 ridges with an impressed line 

 between, interspaces faintly 

 transversely rugose; pappus 

 bristles bright white, 6-6.5 mm. 

 long. 



Hab. Frequent about Mer- 

 ida, Valdez 8i; "herb, 4 feet 

 high, frequent on cultivated 

 grounds about Izamal, July to March," Gaumer Jfo, Silam, 1588, 

 Chichankanab, 1596, 1626, Temax, 1642, Pocoboch 1643. 



Called by the Yucatecans "CHICORIA," "ACHICORIA," or 

 ''LECHUGA SILVESTRE" ; used in domestic practice as a chologogue 

 and sedative. This species is doubtless the one referred to by Cuevas, 

 though Donde's description points with certainty to Taraxacum. The 

 same names are also applied v to Cichorium Intybus. These species 

 are all used as a laxative for children. 



* Eiisayo Botanico 1894 : 32. 



