600 COMPOSITiE. MuLGEDiUM. 



and are somewhat confident that it is not a native of North America. We 

 have no conception what plant (if any) Pursh had in view, under this name, 

 whicli is said to grow in shady low grounds, near springs, from Pennsylvania 

 to Carolina." 



M. alpinum, Less., should be excluded from the North American Flora; the real 

 Sonchus alpinus, in fact, having never been found in Canada, nor the S. alpinus, 

 Smith. ic.pL t. 21, in Lapland or any part of Europe. The history of the confusion 

 respecting S. alpinus and S. Canadensis produced by Linnaeus, is evidently as 

 follows. The specimens of the European S. alpinus and of a Canadian plant 

 received from Kalm were transposed in the Linnsean herbarium ; where the former 

 (which was well described in the Lachesis Lapponica and the Hortus Cliffbrtianus 

 long before the latter was known to botanists) is ticketed " S. Canadensis (K)," and 

 the latter, (which is S. leucophseus, Willd.) " S. alpinus." Not perceiving this 

 mistake, Linnaeus, in the Species Plantarum, consti-ucted the specific phrase of S. 

 alpinus from the Canadian plant so ticketed in his herbarium (while all the synonymy 

 and the habitat relate to the alpine European species) ; and at the same time gave sm 

 excellent description of the species he had himself collected in Lapland, under the 

 name of S. Canadensis. Smith, on obtaining possession of the Linnsean herbarium, 

 not duly considering Linnajus's description in the Hortus Cliffortianus, nor his 

 detailed account of the Lapland plant in the then manuscript Lachesis Lapponica, 

 incautiously figured the American specimen as the original Sonchus alpinus ; and 

 took the European species (which he afterwards named S. coeruleus) to be also a 

 native of Canada. Hence, although the synonymy has long since been rectified, 

 so far as relates to the European S. alpinus, that species also has ever since been 

 erroneously viewed as an American plant. 



199. SONCHUS. Linn. (excl. spec); Cass.; DC. prodr. 7. p. 184. 



Heads many-flowered, becoming tumid at the base. Involucre more or 

 less imbricated. Receptacle naked. Achenia compressed, longitudinally 

 ribbed or striate, not rostrate or attenuated at the apex. Pappus of copious 

 very while exceedingly soft and fine capillary bristles, in several series. — 

 Chiefly caulescent weed-like herbs (scarcely any of which are natives of 

 this country) ; with undivided or pinnatifid leaves, and often corymbose or 

 umbellate heads. Flowers yellow. 



* Annual herbs. 



1. S. tenerrimus (Linn.): stem erect, terete, glabrous, or with glandular 

 hairs near the summit ; leaves auriculate-clasping, variously 1-2-pinnately 

 parted ; the base of the involucre tomentose when young or at length naked ; 

 achenia narrow, nervulate, transversely tuberculate-rugo.se. DC. — Linn, 

 spec. 2. p. 794 ; Sibth.fl. Greec. t. 790 ,- Boiss. ! voy. hot. p. 390. S. tener- 

 rimus & S. pectinatus, DC. prodr. 7. p. 186, fide Boiss. S. tenuifolius, 

 Nutl. ! in trans. Amer. phil. sac. l. c. p. 438. 



St. Diego, California, Nutlall! — The plant of Mr. Nuttall is said to grow 

 in shady ravines among rocks, around St. Diego : but as the specimens wholly 

 accord with slender states of S. tenerrimus (with the segments of the leaves 

 chiefly linear; the involucre at length glabrous, or with a few glanduliferous 

 hairs), we suppose it was introduced from Spain, among other weeds. 



2. iS. oleraceus (Linn.) : glabrous, or the branches glandular hairy near 

 the summit; cauline leaves runcinate-pinnatifid or rarely undivided, sub- 

 spinulose-toothed, cordate-clasping, the auricles acute or acuminate ; involu- 

 cre and umbellate-corymbose peduncles (woolly when 5'oung)at length near- 

 ly glabrous; achenia striate, transversely rugose! — Linn. spec. 2. p. 794, 

 var. laevis (a. Sf^.) ; Fl. Dan. t. 682 ; Engl. bat. t. 843 ; C^^^ sk. 2. p. 254 ? 



