JULY. 259 
colour, very handsome, and, when ripe, forming a large 
feathery spike, as soft as silk. It grows in large patches, 
and is not destroyed, as its leaves and stalks are useful in 
thatching, &c.; it is a harbour for aquatic birds, and shel- 
ters the delicate, bearded Titmouse. 
TETRANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 
COROLLIFLORZ. DIPsACcEA. 
DIPSACUS. (TraseEt.) 
Generic Character. Flowers in a thick head; in some of the 
species almost as large as a hen’s egg, and somewhat resembling 
it in shape. 
Dresacus sytvsstris. Wild Teusel. A curious looking 
plant, found on road-sides and in hedges, and likely to attract 
attention when in flower. The large head is covered with 
sharp spines, and the lilac corolla peeps out between each. 
These spines, which are attached to the receptacle, in the 
species called Dipsacus fullorum, which is cultivated expressly 
for this use, have been employed for a singular purpose in 
manufactures. ‘It is called Fuller’s Teasel, on account of 
being used in dressing cloth, for which purpose the hooked 
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