PrRROcoMA. COMPOSlTiE. 243 



48. PYRROCOMA. Hook. fl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 306, t. 107. 



Sect. EupyiTocoma § Bracteosse, /)C.— Homopappus (partly) & Pyn-ocoma, Nutt. 



Heads many-flowerecl ; the ray-flowers numerous, pistillate, but sometimes 

 infertile or inconspicuous; the disk-flowers tubular, perfect. Scales of the 

 hemispherical or campanulate involucre rigid, somewhat foliaceous, nerve- 

 less, oblong, with more or less squarrose or herbaceous tips. Receptacle flat, 

 alveolate-toothed. Corolla of the disk cylindrical, slightly dilated upwards, 

 with short erect teeth. Branches of the style in the disk-flowers subulate- 

 linear, elongated, the hispid appendages much longer than the stigmalic por- 

 tion ; those of the ray often unequal or one of them abortive, glabrous. 

 Achenia linear, elongated, somewhat 3-angled and striate, glabrous, rarely 

 hairy. Pappus (reddish-brown or fulvous) of copious and uniform slender 

 rigid bristles, usually longer than the corolla of the disk, expanding. — Peren- 

 nial rigid herbs (natives of Oregon), with simple stems; the showy heads 

 terminal or in the axils of the upper leaves, often sessile. Leaves coriaceous, 

 alternate, lanceolate or oblong, sessile, 1 -nerved, reticulate-veined, obscurely 

 pellucid-punctate, sharply serrate or entire. Flowers yellow. 



§1. Heads very large and bread, with foliaceous bracts; the rays slender, 

 concealed in the pappus or exscrted {the margins involute in dried speci- 

 mens), infertile. — Eupyrrocoma. 



1. P. carthamoides (Hook. ! 1. c.) : stem (and young leaves) pubescent, 

 terminated by a single bracteate head ; leaves oblong-lanceolate, mucro- 

 nate-acuminate, sparingly spinulose-serrulate ; the lowest tapering into 

 slender petioles; bracts similar to the uppermost leaves, as long as the proper 

 involucre ; corolla of tlie ray and disk shorter than the pajxpus. — DC. ! prodr. 

 5. p. 350. 



Oregon, (in the interior ?) Douglas! — Stem rather stout, a foot or more 

 high. "Head more than an inch in diameter ; the proper scales of the involu- 

 cre oblong, imbricated in 3 to 4 series, shorter than the disk. — The close re- 

 semblance of this plant to the tbllowing radiate species induced us to examine 

 it more attentively ; and we find that the head is not truly discoid, as has 

 been supposed ; but there is an outer series of rays, which are so concealed 

 in the pa]ipus as readily to escape observation. One of the branches of the 

 style in these flowers is suppressed or abortive ; the other is stigmatose, but 

 the ovary is apparently infertile. — It is not improbable that the rays will be 

 found to be sometimes a little exserted. 



2. P. rctfZiato (Nutt.) : very glabrous ; leaves shining, reticulated, clasp- 

 ing; the radical (petioled) and lower cauline obovate-oblong, entire; the 

 upper ovate-lanceolate or oblong, sparingly spinulose-serrate or entire; heads 

 usually several and somewhat corymbose ; bracts fewer, passing into the 

 scales of the involucre; rays (about 25) exserted; the corolla of the disk as 

 long as the pappus. — Nutt. I in trans. Amer. pihil. soc. {n. ser.) 7. p. 333. 



Plains of Oregon near Walla-wallah, NuMall .'—Stem stout, 12-18 inches 

 high. Leaves very thick, 3-6 inches long, the lower 2 inches broad. Heads 

 nearly as large as "in Inula Helciiium! Involucre muchlikethat of Liatris 

 scariosa ; but the scales not dilated above, and acutish, imbricated in 5 or 6 



