498 COMPOSITiE. MuLGEDJUM. 



the conoid-cylindraceous involucre lanceolate, imbricated in 3-4 series; 

 achenia minutely scabrous, lanceolate-oblong, tapering into a conspicuous 

 beak. — M. pulchellum & M. heterophyllum, Nutt. ! in trans. Amer. phil. soc. 

 (?i. ser.) 7. p. 441. Sonchus pulchellus, Pursh! fl. 2. p. 502. S. Sibiricus, 

 Richards. ! appx. Frankl. journ. ed. 2. p. 30 ; Hook. Iji. Bor.-Am. \. p. 293 ; 

 not of Linn, (at least as to the Siberian plant.) Lactuca integrifolia, Nutt. ! 

 gen. 2. p. 124, not of Bigel. (L. oblongifolia, Nutt.! in Fras. cat.) L. 

 pulchella, DC. jirodr. 7. p. 134. 



a. leaves entire, or the lower occasionally 1-2-toothed towards the base, 

 varying from lanceolate-oblong to narrowly linear. 



/?. lower and sometimes nearly all the cauline leaves runcinate-pinnatifid ; 

 the lobes oblong-lanceolate, entire. 



Alluvial soil, &c., from the Upper Missouri and Platte, Nuttall! Mr. Ni- 

 collet! Lieut. Fremont! and Lake Huron (Dr. Todd), north to Fort Franklin, 

 in lat. 66°, Richardson! Drummond! and west to the mouth of the Oregon, 

 Douglas! Mr. Tolmie ! Nuttall ! July-Aug. — H A foot or more high, with, 

 pretty large heads (the involucre mostly tinged with purple), and showy 

 bright blue flowers. — This plant, in some of its forms, has very much the 

 aspect of M. Sibiricum; from which it is distinguished by the leaves being 

 neither acuminate, nor dilated at the base (except the uppermost) or clasping, 

 by the more imbricated involucre, and especially by the achenium, which 

 tapers gradually into a prominent beak, the apex of which seldom presents 

 the firm texture of the body of the fruit. The var. (3. is also quite as nearly 

 allied to M. Tartaricum; the achenium of which is unknown to us. 



* * Achenia with a short mul thick or obsc^tre beak : involucre calyculate-imbricated. 



2. M. acuminatum (DC. ! 1. c.) : glabrous ; stem paniculate at the sum- 

 mit; cauline leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, denticulate or 

 toothed, usually somewhat pubescent or hairy on the midrib and veiny be- 

 neath, contracted at the base into a winged ])etiole ; the radical rarely sinuate 

 or slightly runcinate ; heads in a loose panicle, on short divaricate and some- 

 what bracteolate peduncles ; involucre glabrous ; achenia slightly rostrate. — 

 Sonchus acurainatus, Willd.! spec. 3. p. 1521 ; Pursh, fl. 2. p. 502; Ell.! 

 sk. 2. p. 255 ,- Torr. ! compend. p. 279 ; Darlingt. ! fl. Cest. p. 446. S. 

 Floridanus, Michx.! fl. 2.^;. 85, in part. Lactuca villosa, Jacq. hart. 

 Schcenb. 3. t. 367 ; Beck. hot. p. 170. 



Borders of thickets, &c. New York ! to Ohio ! Kentucky ! Georgia ! and 

 Alabama ! Aug.-Sept. — (f) Stem 3-6 feet high, often purplish. Leaves 

 3-6 inches long, thin; the radical and sometimes the lower cauline truncate at 

 the base. Flowers blue or purplish-blue. Heads small, nearly as in the 

 following species ; from which the undivided leaves chiefly distinguish it. 



3. M. Florid anum [DC \ I.e.): glabrous; stem paniculate above ; leaves 

 lyrately or somewhat runcinately pinnately parted, with the segments sin- 

 uately or sharply toothed, the terminal usually triangular and acute or acumi- 

 nate; the lower leaves petioled, often with small segments interposed; the 

 uppermost sessile, lanceolate, sinuate-lobed or toothed ; heads in a loose 

 compound panicle, on divaricate slightly bracteolate peduncles; involucre 

 glabrous ; achenia with a short beak. — M. lyratum, Cass. diet. I. c. 33. p. 

 297. M. divaricatum, Nutt. in trans. Amer. phil. soc. I. c. p. 442. Chon- 

 drilla sylvestris alta, &c., Clayt. ! in Gronov. fl. Virg. p. 115. Sonchus 

 Floridanus, Linn.! spec. 2. p. 795 ; Willd. ! spec. 3. pi- 1520 ; Michx. ! fl. 

 2. j7. 85 (in part); Pursh, fl. 2. p. 501; Ell. sk. 2. p. 225. S. Lap- 

 ponicus, Willd. I. c. 1 (excl. syn. & habitat.) S. biennis, Mcench. S. leu- 

 cophaeus, Hook.! compan. to hot. mag. 1. p. 100. Lactuca Floridana, 

 GcErtn. fr. t. 158. Agathyrsus Floridanus, Beck, I.e. (quoad syn.) Galathe- 

 nium Floridanum, Nutt. in trans. Amer. phil. soc. I. c. 



